You Owe it to Me - 2,0
by Khordealis
Summary: Kai runs a yakuza family. Tala struggles to survive on the streets of Mosow until he's kidnapped and sold as a pet. They used to be friends, but twenty years can do a lot of things to a person. With two such strong wills, what will blossom; the love or the hate? YOITM is back, by the same writer under new name, thanks to some amazing people! This is YAOI - don't like, don't read!
1. The Pet

**Disclaimer: **I do not in any way own Beyblade nor its characters. I write this solely for the entertainment of my fellow fans, and I get absolutely no money from it. Have we cleared it now? Good.  
And yes, this fic has been uloaded before, under my previous penname - so if it's familiar to you, then: Hi! I'm the writer formerly known as Lahmia! Glad to be with you again! Let's get this show on the road, shall we?

**Warning: **contains explicit violence, assaulting, human trafficking, foul foul language, weapons, lemons and limes, non-con sex, drugs, mentions of rape and generally dark and unpleasant things. Some OOC-ness will also occur, but bear with it – hopefully you'll like it.

**Rating:**This is M – so if you're under 18, please make use of the exit to your right, commonly known as the X-button and find a more suitable piece. **Sensitive and easily offended readers are advised to stop reading this fic! Consider yourself warned, and don't complain about it if you do continue reading. You do so at your own risk.**

_/Italicized between double slash means dream or flashback/_

Emphasis will _be italicized_ in regular text, and **bold** in Russian.

_Only italicized means spoken in Russian._

Any translations or explanations will be found at the end of all chapters.

**Re-uploaded with dedication to Potasi and CottonEyedJoeStoleMyLove for sticking by me through the disasters that has plauged my writing lately and for reminding me of why I love writing. Thank you so much ... stalkers. ^^**

**Xxx xXx xxX**

_/"Oi, are you ok?"_

_Kai looked up and found himself looking into a pair of eyes, blue as the Mediterranean Ocean (not that he had ever seen the Mediterranean, but he imagined it to have that colour), under a pair of flaming red brows and an equally flaming red explosion of hair shaped as a pair of devil horns. He managed to sit up, and touched the corner of his mouth where they had hit him last. He was bleeding, and his entire body ached. The other boy squatted down next to him and looked curiously at him._

"_Oi, I said; are you ok? What's the matter? Can't you talk?" There was no taunting in his voice, only curious concern._

"_I-I'm ok," Kai managed to say. "Thank you."_

"_You really took a beating, didn't you?" the carrot topped boy said and sat down next to him like it was the most natural thing in the world. Kai wondered if this kid was stupid or something. He hadn't asked him to sit down. And definitely not right next to him! "Some chickens they are, to pick on someone smaller than them. I could have beaten them up, no probs. By the way, I'm Tala. What's your name?"_

"_K-kai."_

"_How old are you? You look like a baby!" Now __**that**__ was pushing it!_

"_S-six,"he answered, trying not to sound as pissed off as he felt. That was a major lie. He was a few months into his fifth year of life._

"_Really?" Tala looked at him again. "You look like four."_

"_And you look like a girl!" Kai retorted. That was both true and false. Tala was slender bordering to scrawny, with delicate long fingered hands and a very finely chiselled face. His eyes were big and shaded by long and thick black lashes – and the slim red bangs weren't exactly the most masculine he'd ever seen. But still, he was obviously a boy. Tala just stared at him for a moment, and Kai was afraid he would hit him – but then the redhead started laughing. He laughed so hard he fell over and rolled around on the ground, clutching his stomach. Kai did not really know how to react to this, and so he remained quiet until he felt it getting embarrassing. So he kicked the still violently laughing boy and hissed out of the corner of his mouth;_

"_Stop doing that! People are staring at us!" Tala stopped and looked around at the adults passing by the alley in which they were currently sitting. He was still giggling when he looked at the smaller boy._

"_They're just looking at us like they always do, Kari!" he smiled._

"_My name is Kai!"_

"_Whatever! What's wrong with Kari, anyway?"_

"_It's a girls name, you moron! I'm a boy!"_

"_I like that name."_

"_Well ,why don't you use it?"_

"_Nope."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Cause it's a girls name."_

"_You're weird." Tala just grinned, and then his eyes fixed upon something Kai wore around his neck. It was a small silver cross on a chain. It had a rose in the middle of it, and a small red gem in the middle of that._

"_What's that?" he asked and pointed. Kai clutched it tightly. "It's pretty."_

"_Please don't take it," Kai whispered, suddenly scared._

"_I'm not gonna take it, stupid!" Tala laughed. "I just wanted to know what it is."_

"_My mama gave it to me when I was born... it's all I have left of her."_

"_Oh. So that's what they tried to take from you. I was wondering. Cause you have that whole bag," he pointed to a worn down khaki green bag laying a few feet away from them. "But they were wrestling you even when you dropped it. Are you some kind of prince?" Kai just stared at him, more than a little confused._

"_No. W-why?"_

"_You're the first stray kid I've seen with a silver cross with a ruby in it around his neck since I ended up out here. So I figured you were one of those. You know; the prince who runs away from home and then gets found and taken back home and lives a happy life ever after."_

"_I'm not one of those," Kai said. "My papa died before I was born, mama died a few months ago, and my grandfather is...sin- seli-...you know, when they can't remember stuff?" Then he looked at the other boy. "How long have you been out here?"_

"_Dunno," Tala said and scratched his neck. "Forever. It's been winter three times since mama died, but we were out here then too."_

"_H-how old are you?"_

"_Seven."_

"_Whoa..."_

"_It's ok!" Tala smiled. "I can't remember living anywhere but out here. I get by just fine, and I have the best hideout ever! Wanna come see it? It's just around the corner. Wanna live there with me?"/_

Kai sat straight up in his bed, heart racing and cold sweat breaking out. He got out from beneath the satin sheets and went into the kitchen and poured himself some whiskey. His hand unconsciously clutched the silver cross still hanging around his neck, as he emptied the glass and went into his study. At least twice a month, he'd have that dream. That day had been the first time in his life he experienced kindness and how friends can come in all shapes and sizes. Tala and him had stuck together like Siamese twins for almost six months, right through one of the most gruelling winters Russia had seen in a decade, before they got separated. He had cried so hard then, at the loss of his best friend. His only friend.

"Pathetic," he muttered as he got his laptop going. It wasn't the fact that he had cried that was pathetic in this case. No, it was the fact that the scrawny and quirky redhead was still the only person who had really been his friend. As his life had twisted and turned and led him to where he was now – who he was now – he had come to brush friendship off as something weak and unnecessary. In his line of work, _allies_ were important. Acquaintances and associates were acceptable. _Friends_ were a liability he couldn't afford. He needed his head clear and focused. Friendship could put your life in danger like nothing else. It was too big a distraction. The same with lovers. He had stayed well clear of that as well. All his relationships had been strictly sexual – no strings attached. 'We meet, we fuck, we go our separate ways. I don't ask about your life – you don't ask about mine.' He was so used to loneliness, both voluntary and not, by now that he didn't even think about such things as a lover or a family. Besides, he was still just twenty-five. He had plenty of time to come up with a plan for securing the family name. The fact that he held not the tiniest bit of interest in the female half of the population was brushed aside as petty. If he needed to have a child, then he'd make sure he had one. Love wasn't a part of his equation. Hardly any of the marriages around him were built 100% on love. Half of the couples hated each other, and had only married to put an end to family feuds or to gain advantages in business by being related. Several of the men – Kai rarely spent time with women at all, unless forced to – were even gay, but had managed to cram out not just one but several kids. If they could do it, so could he.

He logged in and checked his calendar. Tomorrow, he had a conference with the Fumifusa family about them needing a loan as well as security during the wedding of the oyabun's daughter. After that, he would get a much needed massage together with the second in command of the Ayasegawa family. He frowned, and scribbled down a quick note. Yoshida Saito had climbed the ranks quickly. Though only twenty-two, he was already the oyabun's most trusted subordinate. The fact that he was also his son-in-law might have something to do with it, but still. The man must never be underestimated. He was a bit like Kai himself. Cold, calculating, callous, clever. But not with the same edge. Yoshida was also a very spoiled and lazy man at times – never really fond of doing anything strenuous. Kai did whatever it took to land the deals he wanted or to collect the debts needed. The note he quickly made, was about the fact that the brat turned twenty-three soon, and Kai would not be able to attend the party. He needed to get hold of an appropriate gift for him.  
After that, paperwork back at the office, before going to the pet-auction later in the evening to keep watch on one of his borrowers – who was late with the payment. Even though the debt in itself was small – merely 900 000 yen – he couldn't let anyone slack off with the payments. Otō-san would turn in his grave if he did that. Besides, he knew the man had the money. It hadn't been too hard to access his account and check to see how many payments he should expect. Not only could he pay the original sum in one go, he could pay the interest as well – around ten times, without problems. But the man was as stupid as he was greedy, and he had chosen to end up on Kai's STD-list (Scare To Death) rather than just settling his debt. The blue-haired man had a plan laid out for him already. One phone-call, and his pride and joy in life would be hanging from her feet over the edge of a fourteen-story building. To do that to a child was of course considered monstrous by most, but to Kai it was just another way of making sure the deals weren't broken. And he wasn't really the only one with that view on business vs. life. Having a different opinion than him was really more the exception than the rule.  
He wasn't looking forward to going to the auction at all. Even his cold and uncaring heart ached at the sight of the boys, girls, men and women being sold off like cattle to paedophiles, madams, pimps and just generally perverted individuals. He never said anything, nor did he ever let it show, but it bothered him. He knew only too well the background many of them had – and it hit a bit too close to home for his liking. After all, he could have ended up in an auction like that – and he almost did. But, he had to go, so he would – dressed in a strict suit, with a briefcase containing roughly 120 million yen. The pets didn't come cheap, and you weren't allowed in unless you had the cash with you. And a man of his status was expected to bring at least 100 millions – less than that would be an insult to the owner of the auction-house.  
He pondered on whom he should bring with him. To bring Spencer was not really an option. Because if you brought Spencer, then you'd have to bring Bryan. The two of them rarely went outside the building complex without the other. They were neither lovers nor relatives. They were just... easier to manage when stuck together. Bryan was very smart, but had the mother of all anger management issues going on. Letting him go somewhere on his own was a disaster going to happen. Spencer was the opposite. He was almost always calm and collected, but not among the most intelligent people Kai had ever met. The two of them were excellent bodyguards as well as 'standing in a corner with one hand inside the jacket and remaining quiet but making it clear that someone will die if you piss off the boss'-guys. They somehow complemented each other so well that they were an almost indestructible team. But none of them were suitable to bring to a pet-auction. Spencer was so incredibly prudish that he'd just go bright red and spend the evening stuttering and muttering 'oh dear'. And Bryan could easily decide to participate in the bidding just to piss people off. And pissing off hideously rich perverts could prove very dangerous.  
And when pervertedness came to mind – Ian was _definitely_ out of the question. His short intelligence gatherer was by far the most insanely perverted and horny man he had ever come across – and Kai wasn't there to make sure Ian didn't go out and try to shag someone right on stage just to check the merchandise. That efficiently ruled out his core team. Who else? Rei? He shuddered. God, no! Rei would be in high danger of ending up on that stage himself. He would simply have to go alone. It shouldn't be too much trouble, since the auction was held in his own district. If anyone messed with him in there, someone would always back him up. Or just close their eyes when he dealt with it himself. Kai Hiwatari wasn't known as the scariest Yakuza Kōrigashi in all of Tokyo for nothing. His adoptive father and uncle had taught him well, and now he ruled like a blue-haired Caesar over his subordinates.

Sighing, he looked at the clock. 5:53. Too little time to go back to sleep, and too much time to go down to the office. He decided to hit the gym for a while. Working out was his constant solution to waking up from strange or bad dreams and not being able to go back to sleep. He didn't drink himself tired again – a glass of whiskey, or if it was really bad, a glass of vodka, but never more than that. He had to keep his head straight at all times. Spending an hour or two down in his gym made him tired, yes, but only physically. His mind was still sharp as ever.

Two hours later, some of the other occupants of the large complex had begun to stagger into the gym as well for their scheduled work outs. Kai was very strict with that. He hated to have fat people working for him. He needed them all to stay fit – for everyone's safety. He had no illusions about working in a safe business – the scars on his body had long since cleared him of any romantic ideas about being part of the ninkyō dantai. Deciding he'd had his work out, he headed back up to his penthouse suite to shower and make himself presentable. Ignoring the call-notes coming from the jacuzzi and the regular bath tub, he stepped into the shower instead and turned the water to 'cool'. He enjoyed the feeling of cold water assaulting his skin and making him shiver. It was almost like a ritual of his. Kai absolutely loved long and hot baths, but in the morning he showered in cold water. When he got out, he took a good look at himself in the mirror. He sometimes wondered what had happened to that scrawny little midget of a kid he had been once.  
Looking back at him from the glass surface was a stunning young man. His body was extremely well trained, not in a beefy way, though. No, he was still slenderly built, but there wasn't a hint of fat anywhere on him, and his chest and abs made people of both sexes drool gallons. His skin had remained an ivory tone, and he sometimes cursed his pigments for their stubborn refusal to ever give him a tan. Covering his entire back and a good part of his left thigh was a colour tattoo of a phoenix. His family was one of those that collected this kind of tattoos, and he was very proud of his. Every day, he painted four blue triangles on his face – a fashion many people wanted to copy but dared not. The four triangles were his signature. One of them hid the scar from his childish struggle to keep his one and only friend, and it was the first triangle he painted on every morning. The only traces left of the little homeless boy living on the streets in Moscow were the crimson eyes – a colour he had never seen anyone else have – and the dual blue hair. But the eyes weren't big and innocent anymore. Nowadays they were cold, cynical, suspicious and distant. His childhood died when he was separated from Tala, and buried forever upon arriving in Japan.

Xxx xXx xxX

"You know, Hiwatari-san," Yoshida said when they were laying on the benches and having all troublesome knots removed by the skilled hands of the masseurs. "I've been kinda wondering. You're not really Japanese, are you? You're too freaking pale!" Kai sighed.

"Well, that's not really a secret, Yoshida," he said. "Okā-san is from Russia, so it's only natural that I look like this."

"...oh." He gave a nervous laughter. "That sure explains why you can outdrink anyone!"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Now, to get back to the subject at hand – you want to borrow one million dollars from me, but have yet to give me a reason for it or a security in case you fail to come through with the payment. I can give you an interest of to-ni, because your father-in-law in an old friend of the family. But I need to know why you want that big a sum and what you can offer me in case you can't pay your debt." Yoshida blushed slightly.

"Well, I know you keep secrets better than anyone... it's just a bit embarrassing. It's that... my wife and I are trying to have kids... and it's not going too well. So, we're gonna try IVF."

"And for that you need a million?"

"Yeah. Because we're going to America to do it."

"And why the hell would you do that? Aren't there clinics for it here?"

"There is, but... But my wife finds it embarrassing to do it here. And truthfully, so do I. And she's never been to America in her life. She's never been outside Japan even. So, a million would help us get there, do the IVF and have a little time off for just us." Kai pondered it for a moment.

"Very well. I get why you want it. Now it's just a matter of security."

"I can offer you my car."

"You drive a Toyota. The Lamborghini belongs to your father-in-law."

"My penthouse, then."

"Belongs to your father-in-law. As does the inventories."

"My company. Twenty percent of my company."

"Scarlet Productions?"

"Yes."

"Twenty percent of Scarlet Productions is only worth about half of the loan you want."

"I... I don't know what else I can offer..."

"Then why come to me asking for that amount of money? You have neglected payments before. That is why I want some security from you. A million is a million after all. Especially in dollars."

"I...I will give you fifty percent of Scarlet! Please! I need that money for Miyako! I want her to be happy again. Please, Hiwatari-san!"

"Hold out your left hand." Yoshida's eyes widened in fear, but did as requested. The tip of his little finger was missing. Kai looked at it for a moment, and the younger man began to tremble and sweat.

"You'll find that I am not so kind as your darling father. I expect payment to start within two months. Failure to do so will not make you lose another finger tip – it will make you lose a hand. Stalling payments will lead to you losing your hand. Dragging out on payments too long will lead to you losing your hand. And if you simply fuck paying me back – you will lose more than just your hand. You will lose your neck. But I will lend you the money."

"T-thank you so much, Hiwatari-san!" Yoshida exclaimed. "If you feel done, we can sign the papers right now!"

"Certainly."

They got off the benches, and after having gotten dressed again, they headed for Kai's office to sign all necessary documents. Yoshida Saito being more than a little scared. He had just signed off half of his precious company to the man known as The Devil of Shinjuku. And he knew that if he didn't pay his debt – he would lose his hand, and probably more than that. Because one of the most well known facts about Kai Hiwatari was that he never ever made any empty threats. He always did what he had told people he would do. No more, no less. But he also always kept his part of any deal he had made.

Xxx xXx xxX

The auction-house was crowded. Smoke from what seemed like a year's production worth of cigars filled the air and the lights were dimmed. Everywhere around him were men in strict and expensive suits and a few women in clothes that must have cost a fortune. Pimps, perverts and madams. All the shady beings hiding behind respectable façades during the daytime and showing their true colours only after sundown. Well, he was a shady being as well – but the difference between him and them was the fact that he was equally shady regardless of hour. There were, of course, people who thought he was just a very tough businessman – but those were usually non-Japanese people.  
The tie felt like it was trying to strangle him, and he wanted nothing more than to just rip it off and unbutton the shirt a few holes. But he didn't let it show. He only wished the fucker he was watching either left really soon or made a mistake so he could take actions sooner than he had so far expected. Buying a pet would be a mistake. And Kai had to admit to himself that he hoped the man would. He was so annoyed with his arrogant, careless attitude that he just wanted to punch him. But he couldn't do so without good reason.

"Ah, Hiwatari-san," came a voice to his left. He looked over there, and saw the owner of the house standing a step or two behind him. Damn, he should have paid more attention. He was always so freaking easily distracted the day after having had that dream.

"Ah, good evening, Kondo-san," he said. "I trust all is well?" The man beamed and came to stand next to him by the railing of the balcony overlooking the stage.

"I can't complain," he smiled. "The money is rolling in like never before, and I have found a good heir in my nephew. Are you looking for something special tonight?"

"Not really," Kai said, and sipped his champagne. "I'm mostly here to keep watch on that idiot Muto. He owes me money and has completely fucked payments."

"Oh, dear! How bad is it?"

"STD."

"Oh, dear Kami!" The man fanned his face with his hand. "Well, I shall hope he understands the severity of it. I hope you can find time to rest your eyes on our pets tonight. We've gotten a shipment from Europe. Beautiful specimens! I would be most happy if you found one to your liking." Kai gave a hint of a smile.

"Well, we shall see. I will keep my eyes open. Thank you, Kondo-san."

"My pleasure!" The man bowed and backed away, and Kai went back to watching his borrower. Muto was sitting by a table with two other men, chatting and drinking.

The auction started, and Kai threw a glance at the pets occasionally, but none of them caught his interest enough for him to take any part in the bidding instead of watching the right now drunk and happily card-playing man. After a while, Muto got on his feet, somewhat unsteadily, and left the room. When twenty minutes had passed and he had not returned, Kai decided to call it a night. He began to turn away, but the last glance he threw at the stage caused him to freeze in his steps and turn right back around and stare – heart skipping more than one beat at the sight.

/And next offer is a young male, mid-twenties, of Russian nationality. Though carrying some scars, he is in otherwise good condition. Like the others, he doesn't speak the language, and that might be a benefit. He is registered on the list as 'Ōkami', due to his untamed spirit. A bit on the temperamental side, he is a perfect pet for those of you who enjoy a bit of resistance. The red hair is of course authentic, as is the style of it. His back is most likely still virginal and should present great pleasure to any owner. His front will no doubt bring great satisfaction to anyone who wishes to be penetrated themselves every now and then. For this stunning specimen of European manhood, the bidding starts at ten. Do I have any bids?/

Kai managed to register the bidding getting started, and pick up on the hunger in the voices of the men battling for him. But his eyes were fixed upon the young man on the stage and he felt a strange sting of panic in him. Drugged almost to the point of unconsciousness, Tala's blue eyes stared into space – void of any emotions. His naked body, very slim, but still muscular, looked so vulnerable where he was displayed in the same humiliating way as all the previous pets. He had to do something!

/Last bidding is ninety. Any other bids? Ninety, going one.../

"One hundred!" he heard himself say in a loud but calm and confident voice.

/We have one hundred!/

"A hundred and ten!" a man said. Kai growled.

"One twenty!" The announcer looked at him, and then at the man who had countered his bid. Said man shook his head.

/One twenty! Going one. Going two. Sold, to the blue-haired man on the balcony! Enjoy your new pet, sir, and thank you for choosing our establishment!/

Tala was dragged off stage, and Kai headed down to collect him. He cursed a bit inwardly at himself for the somewhat unconsidered action – but there was nothing he could do about it now. Tala had saved his ass once, and now he got to return the favour. What the hell he was supposed to do with the redhead was a problem he would look into in the morning. Right now, he counted himself very lucky for his self-discipline and ability to look distant and calm no matter what. Because his heart was still racing in his chest, his palms were sweaty and he just wanted to run over and hold the redhead forever. Dangerous feelings. Dangerous impulses. He handed the briefcase over to one of the staff members, and then turned to look at the semi-conscious redhead.

"Does he have anything to put on?" he asked. Another member of the staff hurriedly nodded and presented a pair of loose jeans and a t-shirt – several sizes too big – and quickly got him dressed. Kai looked at the man who had accepted the money and was just finishing the count. "You done?"

"Yes, Hiwatari-sama!" the man assured him. "He's all yours." They took the money and backed off. The bluenette picked the redhead up and started the walk out to the car.

Once back at his penthouse, he removed Tala's clothes once again and put him to bed. Tala still didn't seem aware of his surroundings, and he was unable to focus his gaze or make his vocal cords work. Sighing, he pulled the covers over the pale and scorching hot body and went out into his kitchen to get something to drink.

Xxx xXx xxX

"_Mama, I need your help_," was the first thing Tala heard upon waking up from his feverish sleep. The voice spoke in Russian... how was that possible? Was he back in Russia? Or had he...what? Dreamt the whole thing? Hallucinated? Lost all ability to recognize language?

"_What do you mean you can't be bothered? I haven't even told you what it's about yet! Look, I don't ask you for a lot of things, so can't you for __**once**__ just-... Well fuck it then, woman! Stay in Kyoto and don't bother me any more! I'm cutting your allowance in half. Why? Because I can._" The sound of a phone making impact with a hard surface was heard next to his head, and he tried to turn his head that way. The world was still spinning like crazy, efficiently stopping him from moving a single inch until he felt he could do so without feeling like a towel in a laundry machine.

"_Oi, you awake, Tala?_" Tala's eyes snapped open and stared right into a pair of crimson orbs, holding in them a slight hint of worry. No one had asked him for his name since he was taken! Who was this guy? Why was he so familiar? Those eyes... that hair...? Somewhere in the back of his head a voice screamed to him that he knew who this was, but it didn't connect with the rest of his brain.

"_I'm...dizzy..._" he managed to whisper. His mouth felt dry as sand and he tried to swallow. "_Could... I have a... glass...of water...?_" The other man nodded and left the room. Tala suddenly felt small and scared, regretting asking him. But only seconds later, he returned with a large glass filled with cold clear liquid.

"_Here,_" he said and held it out for Tala to take. "_Can you sit up and drink?_"

The redhead tried, but hadn't energy enough in his body to do so. He sank back into the mattress, meekly shaking his head. This caused the blue-haired man to give an irritated sigh, place the glass on the bedside table and sit him up – holding him like a small child, despite the fact that Tala was bigger than him. But judging by the tightness of the grip and how the arms felt around him, Tala was really no match for this guy. This was a man built of pure muscles. He really wanted the world to stop spinning so he could take a closer look at this person.

"_Here, open up, or you'll get water all over._" He managed to part his lips and allow the crystal clear water to fill his mouth. Nothing had ever tasted better! After managing to drink half the glass, he moved to sign that he wanted to lie down again. The blue-haired man helped him do so, and tucked him in thoroughly again – but Tala threw the cover off his chest. It was still too warm! "_Oi, take it easy,_" the guy said. "_The drug they give you takes a long time to clear. Stop moving around._"

"_Drug...?_" he asked, eyes widening. A series of images flashed before his eyes, the sensation of hands all over his body, touching places they had no right to touch, the dizziness... "_No!_" He shied away from the bluenette's touch, pulling the cover up and around himself. "_W-who are you? How do you know my name? Where am I? What- what happened to me? What do you want?_" The blue-haired man calmly extended a hand, gripped his hair and pulled him back towards himself and pinned him to the bed.

"_Will you stop that fucking wriggling?_" he snarled. "_You are in Tokyo, Shinkjuku ward, in my penthouse. You were taken to Japan to be sold as a 'pet'. A sex slave. A toy. They drug you so you'll put up no resistance when they examine you and when your new owner comes to collect you. And if you stop worming around and start looking, you will know who I am. Don't you remember?_"

Reality and realization hit Tala in the head like a ton of bricks, when he studied the man closer, and a piece of silver jewellery caught his eyes.

"_Kai!_" he gasped. "_You live here? You...you saved me?_"

"_No. I bought you. And you were expensive too. One hundred and twenty million yen. That's around forty-one and a half million roubles._"

"_W-what?_"

"_I bought you. You belong to me now._"

"_B-but you did it cause you wanted to save me...right?_"

"_No. I bought you because I could. It's a good idea to have a bed-mate at home. Rules out the risk of taking the wrong guy as fb._" Tala's eyes flared up with a mix of fury, hurt and disbelief, and he aimed a slap across Kai's face. The bluenette didn't even blink when he caught the redhead's wrist in mid-air.

"_What the hell are you saying?_" he cried. "_How can you say that? You fucking monster! I won't let you! I won't let you fucking touch me!_"

"_You think you actually have a choice?_" Kai looked at him with an arched brow. "_I own you. I decide over you and your body – not you._"

"_What the hell are you saying?_"

"_I'm saying you're a possession. I own you. You are my pet. My toy. My doll, if you wish. I am allowed to do whatever the hell I want with you. __**Whatever**__ I want._" Tala was even paler than snow, trembling and eyes beginning to get a bit red.

"_This can't be happening..._" he whispered. "_You can't be Kai. This is a dream..._" Kai slapped him across the face.

"_This is reality. I-_" he was interrupted by the sound of his phone. Sighing irritatedly, he picked it up, answering in Japanese. "Hello? Bryan. What do you want? Say fucking **what** now?" He snarled. "Meet me by the entrance. I'll be down in ten." He hung up and looked over at Tala, who was still staring at him in angry disbelief. "_Something came up. Make yourself at home, but don't even bother trying to leave. I will be back by evening._" He got off the bed and went over to his wardrobe, pulling his hoodie off and revealing his muscular upper body and the huge tattoo. Tala couldn't keep himself from staring at the insanely gorgeous body. He almost had a heart attack when Kai just as causally stepped out of his ragged jeans and revealed slender hips and a firm and inviting round ass covered up by means of tight black boxers. The tattoo reached down to his knee, and the redhead couldn't help but to trace the outlines in his mind – blushing a deep red when he realized what he was doing. A few minutes later, Kai emerged from the large closet, dressed in much more formal attire. A pair of black slacks covered up his well shaped legs and he was just putting an equally black tie in place under the collar of a royal blue shirt. Tala noticed something very disturbing, though. In a holster hanging from his shoulder, was a gun. A big one. He gulped and couldn't help staring at it. Kai took notice of it and arched a brow.

"_It's rude to stare,_" he said as he put on a jacket – hiding the weapon from sight.

"_W-why do you carry a gun?_" Tala managed to stutter out.

"_If I don't get them first, they'll get me. Simple as that._"

"_Huh? What are you? Freaking mafia or something?_"

"_Yes._" With that, Kai put his cell phone in his pocket and exited the room – leaving Tala with and uncontrollable heart race and eyes wider than dinner plates.

"_Oh my God..._" the redhead whimpered after a while. "_What the hell have I just gotten dragged into? Kai is mafia?_" Suddenly the thought of escaping felt very stupid.

Xxx xXx xxX

"So, Takano," Kai said coolly. "Would you mind explaining why you broke the deal we had and decided to start doing business with the Satoshi family? I felt really hurt, you know." He crouched down in front of the man kneeling on the floor. Mr. Takano was sobbing and whimpering, and holding the bleeding stumps of what used to be his ring and pinky finger. He met the cold ruby eyes and paled even further. Never in his fifty odd years of life had he been more scared. No wonder this kid was called a devil. He had no emotions! It was like it wasn't even a cold façade – it was like he just didn't **have** them. It was terrifying! And had he realized just how dangerous it was to be on this man's bad side, he would have shut the door in Satoshi-sama's face – regardless of how rude it would have been.

"Takano, I'm waiting," Kai said calmly, and it made him flinch. "I am not in a good mood today, so I'd suggest you start talking soon, or you're gonna run out of limbs."

"I'm so sorry, Hiwatari-sama!" he cried as the bluenette had given a sign to that lilac-haired demon he had with him, making said demon place his middle finger in the mouth of a pair of secateurs. The lilac-haired man looked at his employer, who held up a hand. The blades stopped digging into his skin, but didn't move away. Not that he really expected it to. "Satoshi-sama came to me with a good offer. I have been looking to establish in the pet-business for a long time, but I lacked the funds and experience. Satoshi-sama offered to help me in exchange for ten percent of the income. It was a very good offer, considering how much money we made in just the first weeks. European pets are worth a lot of money, apparently. I thought you wouldn't mind – seeing that your family is not in that business. I am sorry! Please accept my apologies!" Kai's eyes had narrowed upon hearing 'European pets'. He nodded to Bryan, who made short process with the digit in the cutter. Takano screamed.

"Please refrain from screaming, Takano," Kai said very coldly. "It's unworthy of a grown man. Now, this is what you will do; you will immediately stop your affairs with the Satoshi family. Then you will stop that ridiculous pet-selling you're doing, and after that, I expect not only to be paid back every single yen I've funded you with that has been used in that business, but also a formal apology. Am I making myself clear?"

"Y-yes, Hiwatari-sama!"

"Good." He stood up and looked at Bryan and Spencer. "Spence, you can open the door now. Have your guns ready. His little pack is trigger-happy enough as it is. With their precious little daddy injured, they'll be like a swarm of wasps. I don't like wasps." The bulky blonde man nodded and removed himself from the door. It burst open immediately, and the room was filled with angry men with drawn weapons. Kai sighed, and left the room – letting Bryan and Spencer watch his back. He was getting a headache, and he still had the problem known as Tala to be dealt with at home. The man was going to need clothes, and Kai decided to call Rei. And that was probably a wise decision. The neko had such serious fashion addiction he actually showed withdrawal symptoms when he was away with Kai somewhere in the world where they didn't have a Dolce & Gabbana boutique. Problem was, he didn't know if Tala could speak English. But then again, one look at Rei would tell you quite quickly that he wasn't a threat. He was a black belt in karate – sure – but he was also mainly a pacifist. The exception being sales at his favourite designers. Once in the car, with Spencer driving and Bryan sulking in the seat next to Kai, he pulled out his phone and pressed the no 3 button. It only took two signals before he heard a cheery voice answering on the other end.

/Kai! Jeez, it's been days!/ A hint of a smile found its way onto Kai's lips. Rei was one of the only four people who ever made him smile. Bryan, Ian and Spencer were really the only other ones. And Tala. But that was 20 years ago.

"Hey, Rei," he said. "I've been busy. How's everything?"

/I'm just fine and dandy. That scarf is mine, you fucking bitch! Let it go! Let it the fuck go or I'll snap your neck!/

"Rei?" What sounded like a cat fight was the only response. He sighed. "Rei!"

/And don't do it again, missy! What?/

"Who's having a sale this time?"

/Hermés. I found a new white scarf for you!/

"Does it have any fr-"

/It's exactly like your old one, don't worry. Don't you even dare! What can I do for you, Kai?/

"I want you home at six."

/Ooh./

"No. Not like that."

/You're mean. What is it then?/

"It involves fashion."

/I'll be there. Gotta go now! The line will be a mile long for the re-opening of Punk if I don't hurry to get there. See you in an hour. Bye, love!/ Kai winced a bit. He really didn't like to be called 'love', or anything even vaguely in the cute pet-name category. The only other name he really tolerated was 'Blue', but Rei got away with 'love' – because he was Rei. Had anyone else under this sun called Kai that – they would have a hole through their head.

"_Kitty at a sale again?_" Bryan asked.

"_Hn._"

"_So, what's up?_"

"_With what?_"

"_Why you need Kitty-boy over to talk fashion._" Kai grunted and was quiet for a moment, Bryan and Spencer patiently waiting. They knew he'd answer, after all, they had known him for a long time.

"_You know that boy I knew when I still lived in Moscow?_"

"_Yeah?_" Spencer said.

"_He's currently locked up in my apartment_."

"_Whoa!_" both his friends exclaimed.

"_I thought he was dead!_" Spencer said. Bryan nodded his agreement.

"_Apparently not,_" Kai sighed. "_He was at the auction last night._"

"_As a pet or a buyer?_"

"_As a pet._" Again Kai went quiet and looked out the window. "_And I bought him. And that's stupid._"

"_Why?_" Spencer asked, and then sighed as they hit yet another traffic jam.

"_Because it wasn't something I thought through before I did. He's gonna be a distraction._"

"_I thought you liked him,_" Bryan said.

"_Yeah, I did,_" Kai admitted. "_Twenty years ago. And I have no freaking clue what I'm gonna do with him now that he's here._"

"_Does he look good?_" Bryan inquired. Kai arched a brow, but nodded. "_Then fuck his brains out first, and then figure it out. You can always send him back to Russia._"

"_Bryan!_" Spencer gasped in the driver's seat. "_Don't say things like that!_"

"_Fucking is a natural fucking thing, Spencer!"_ the lilac-haired man objected. "_It's as fucking normal as shitting or eating! The hell's your fucking problem? You don't shit or fuck?_" The blonde man was taking on a lovely tomato colour. "_Shit, you're not a fucking virgin, are you? Seriously, Spence. You have abused at least one pussy or ass, right? Don't fucking waste your gift! There are men who would kill to have your dick, you know that, right?_"

"_Bryan!_" Spencer whined, if possible, even redder. "_Please stop talking about stuff like that! It's not really a comfortable subject for people._" Bryan snorted.

"_Fucking lame ass virgin you are, Spencer,_" he said. Then he looked at Kai's thoughtful expression. "_I'll say it again; fuck him into next century and then ship him back to Russia. You can just ship him back without fucking, but that would really be a waste if he's hot. And besides, it'd do you good to get rid of some tension. Or, you know, you can keep him here. We can always find use for one more guy._"

"_Hn,_" was the reply. But to which of Bryan's suggestions he replied remained unknown. They made it back to their head quarters, Bryan and Spencer getting out of the elevator on the seventh floor, and Kai continued up to the fifteenth – his private floor. He found Tala in his bedroom, hiding under the covers still. Paying him no mind at that moment, he walked into his closet and changed from the formal and bloodstained clothes to a new pair of jeans, a black tank top and an equally black short-sleeved shirt. He tucked the gun away in a secret, locked, compartment and went back into the bedroom to check on his new pet. This time, Tala was actually looking at him. Taking that as a good sign, he sat down at the edge of the bed.

"_How're you feeling?_" he asked. Tala just stared at him for a long time before answering.

"_I want to leave._"

"_Well, we all want a lot of things. Are you still dizzy, or have a headache or something?_"

"_No_."

"_Good. Listen, a friend of mine is coming over. Do you speak English?_"

"_A little,_" Tala said, blushing slightly. "_Why?_"

"_Rei doesn't speak Russian. And I doubt you speak Mandarin. I need to know if you two are gonna be able to communicate or if I'm gonna have to be here all the time._"

"_And what's he going to do?_" Tala asked bitterly. "_You're selling me by the hour now or something?_"

"_If you don't shut up, I might just do that. But trust me, Rei wouldn't be the one I sold you to. Rei's a softy. If I sold you to anyone it would probably be someone I don't know so I don't have to have him knocking on my door constantly asking for your ass for another hour. Disturbs my peace._"

"_You're a fucking monster!_" Tala hissed, and tried to punch him again. Kai easily caught him and raised a brow.

"_I can't recall ever saying I wasn't._" They heard the sound of the front door opening, and a cheery 'Konbanwa!' – making Tala look like a question mark, and Kai to give out a relieved sigh. "In here, Rei!" Kai called in English, and Tala didn't quite know what to think when this very feminine and cat-like man came bouncing into the room, catching the blue-haired man in a tight hug and kissing him on the lips – actually purring. And Kai let him! When the man let go of Kai, the bluenette turned him around and said in English;

"Rei, this is Tala. He needs clothes."

"Ooooh!" came the response from the feline man. "Hello sexy!" Tala pulled the covers a bit higher up, and looked questioningly at Kai.

"Tala," said bluenette said. "Meet Rei Kon, the worst little slut in all of Shinjuku and a very good friend of mine." He spoke slowly, to make sure the redhead understood. 'Friend', Kai thought to himself. Well, he knew Rei very well, and knew he could always count on him...but still. Friend was by definition Tala in Kai's internal dictionary. The neko approached the redhead in the bed, and extended a slender hand.

"Nice to meet you!" he greeted.

"Nice to meet you," Tala said back, hesitantly. His English actually really sucked, but he had at least understood what they had said so far. Actually, he understood better than he could speak it. But if anyone asked him to read it, he was fucked. He couldn't even read Cyrillic, for fucks sake! At the moment, he was thoroughly confused. Bad ass mafia guy Kai was friends with this... man. Friends enough of let himself be kissed on the lips in front of someone else. But Rei's presence felt good. He had sort of imagined all of Kai's friends to be big and scary guys with muscles like oxen and always wearing black suits. It was obvious he had never met Bryan and Spencer. This guy wasn't scary for a second. Ok, well, his extreme cheeriness was a bit intimidating, but in a good way. Tala was sure he could take him out if he tried to pull any shit. Rei turned to Kai again.

"Why is he naked, Kai?" he asked. "You naughty man! What have you been doing with this hottie that I wasn't invited to?" Tala blushed a bright scarlet, and Kai sighed.

"He is naked because the clothes he had were in such bad shape I had to throw them away."

"Oh. So, that means..."

"That means I'm gonna trust you with my credit card, and you're gonna get him a new wardrobe. Rei, are you listening to me? Rei, stop freaking him out." The feline had sat down and was admiring Tala's face and what was visible of his pale chest. Tala found this a bit... scary. Then Rei was forcefully yanked away from the bed and Kai looked him in the eyes.

"Rei. He's not available. I own him, and I won't tolerate any attempts at seduction from you. So. Behave." Rei pouted and played with the hem of Kai's tank top.

"Sorry, love," he said. "He's just so gorgeous. Almost as gorgeous as you, and you know I can't keep myself from touching gorgeous people."

"I am aware of that. And I'm also aware of the fact that if you do anything I haven't permitted to with him – I will give you a very swift gender change."

"Oooh! Naughty!"

"Rei!"

"Yes, I'll be nice."

"Good. Now, call whoever you need to call and get clothes over here. I don't care what it costs – he's going to look good, alright?"

"Got it!" Kai grunted and began to exit the room. "What? You're leaving?"

"Hn." They heard the front door close, and Rei sighed knowlingly.

"That's Kai for you," he smiled. "He hates fashion. Thank Buddha he has a sense of style himself. Going shopping with him is a nightmare. He usually just sends me to do it. Not that I mind – cause I get to buy three garments for myself as a reward." He looked determinedly at Tala, who shrunk a bit and felt like a piece of meat. "That leaves just you and me, then. Ok, let's get you in a nice bath first, and a little shave – and then I'll call Damien. He runs a store here that sells really cool outfits. You don't look like the suit type to me. I'm thinking more in the line of stylishly ragged jeans or pants with straps, tank tops, printed t-shirts, black casual shirts – you know, that nice 'street punk style.' Kai is gonna drool gallons over you once I'm done with you!"

Suddenly, Tala was scared.

**Xxx xXx xxX**

Kōrigashi = loan shark.  
Ninkyō dantai = chivalrous organizations. The Yakuza's name for themselves.  
Oyabun = the leader of a yakuza family.  
Okā-san = mother  
Otō-san = father  
120 million yen = about 1 246 000 USD  
To-ni = means literally ten-two. It means that Kai is offering a deal with an interest of 20% every ten days. So Yoshida's debt will increase with 20% every ten days until he's cleared it.  
Shinjuku = one of Tokyo's wards.  
Ōkami = wolf

So, this was inspired by the anime Okane Ga Nai, but won't follow the storyline of it. It just has the same settings.

Reviews on this?


	2. The Clan

**Disclaimer: **I owns it not!

**Warning: **for basic warnings, see chapter 1. Additional warnings concerning this chapter: mentions of murder and torture.

**Xxx xXx xxX**

Tala's first time in a jacuzzi was both absolutely amazing and absolutely terrifying. It was amazing due to the fact that the warm bubbling water helped his sore muscles relax as well as cure the chilliness he was beginning to experience – and of course because it cleaned the dirt of several weeks off of him. Terrifying due to the fact that he had a smiling cat-man opposite of him, leaning against the rim and freaking _purring_. Every now and then he would look over at the redhead with the look of a cat that had caught a mouse.

He had made several (to him probably appreciative and pepping) comments that had really had the opposite result to what the Chinese man had thought. It had made Tala blush and try to shut him out of the bathroom. That's when Tala realized that the cat-man knew martial arts. He had _kicked the freaking door in_. And managed to time it to when Tala had just dropped the sheet he had wrapped himself in and was stepping into the tub. Rei had made another 'oooh!' and smiled from ear to ear. That had been followed by; 'Jeez, you're hot! You give Kai a run for his money!' and Rei fanning his face with his hand. Tala had almost had a heart attack when the blacknette had gotten out of his clothes like he was alone in the room and stepped into the jacuzzi as well. Climbing up over his back was a white tiger – amazingly detailed and realistic looking. What was with these guys? Did they have some kind of ink fetishism going on?

Tala had somehow – despite a 'You're mean!' and a pout – managed to convince Rei to let him wash his hair and body by himself. He wasn't really keen on anyone touching him after all the shit he'd been through during the last few days. But he failed in trying to get Rei to stop looking at him, and especially stop looking at him with that psycho grin. They had now been in there for an hour, and Tala was reluctant to get out. He wanted to be spared of any more comments about how gorgeous he looked naked. Back home in the slums, he would have just punched the person, but knowing that the man he was apparently living with from now on was mafia – and that the feline perv was a good friend of his – he had quickly decided not to start shit. About that mafia thing...

"Uhm, Rei?" he said cautiously. The feline man arched a perfect brow and moved a little closer. "Is Kai really...mafia?" Rei smiled and nodded.

"He's yakuza, yes. Everyone in this house are."

"Oh." Tala was quiet for a while, memorizing the word. It sounded kinda cool – in a really disturbing way. ((_Wait a minute! __**Everyone?**_)) "You too?"

"Yup!" Rei smiled even wider. "I'm his personal assistant. I'm not much of a shooter and stuff, but I can throw decent punches. So, he put me in charge of handling everything that doesn't involve the hardware."

"H-hard...ware? What is that?"

"Oh, right. I forgot you're not good at English. Uhm, it's what we call the weapons when we don't wanna say 'weapons'. There's a lot of those kinds of words. You'll learn them soon enough. I'll teach you."

"Uhm...ok. And what about Kai? How...how high up is he in all this?"

"As high up as can be. He took over running the family and all the businesses when his father died three years ago. But really, he's been handling most of it since he was seventeen anyway."

"B-but Kai didn't have a father when I knew him..."

"He was adopted by Hiwatari Takeshi and his wife Irina. She is from Russia, and she wanted a Russian child when they couldn't have any of their own. But she's the biggest fucking bitch of a cunt ever to walk the face of the earth." Tala paled a bit at his choice of words.

"Uhm, ok. Why is that?"

"Kai was never anything but a trophy for her. 'look at my beautiful son. He's got crimson eyes! How many children have you ever seen with that? And he's so intelligent and strong!'" Rei did the classical imitation of fingers down his throat. "Fucking disgusting. Kai hated her. He still doesn't really like her, so he's sent her off to Kyoto, to one of our mansions. Takeshi-sama was the one who raised Kai, and they were very close. There was never any doubt as to who would run the family after him."

"Oh. 'Takeshi-sama'? Wasn't his name Hiwatari...or what? I don't understand." Rei blushed slightly, and then smiled again. He moved a bit closer again and patted Tala on the shoulder.

"Japanese people put the family name first. To you, it would be Takeshi Hiwatari. I say Takeshi-sama, because I was really close to him too, but he was of a much higher status than me. You with me?"

"I think..."

"Sama is a title. You add that to a person's name when they are higher up than you. I should be saying Kai-sama to Kai, or at least Kai-san – but he hates when any of us do that, so we stick to the relaxed way when we're not in a formal meeting. And besides, Kai's closest people are all Russian – except for little old me."

"He's got _Russian _guys working for him?" Rei smiled happily again.

"Yup. Bryan and Spencer are his bodyguards and/or pet demons. Depends on who you ask. They're nice guys, but kinda scary. Spencer is six foot seven – all muscles. He can actually snap a man's neck without too much effort with just one hand. Bryan is a little shorter, six foot two. He's the most dangerous guy Kai has. He collects weapons. His apartment is full of them! I think I even saw an iron maiden in there last time I visited. And he's soooo easily pissed off. My God! When he's around, no one ever dares to bitch with any of us. And when he and Kai are together, people will do as they're told. Kai scares people even more. But, I gotta say, Bryan is really hot. All those muscles and scars – and all those tattoos." He fanned his face with his hand again. Tala stared at him.

"He sounds scary. But... he's got tattoos too? What is it with you people?"

"Oh, it's a traditional thing. And besides, it looks _so _sexy. Have you seen Kai's?"

"Uhm...yes."

"Then you know what I mean. Spencer's got a pair of Koi fish, and Ian's got a big bad viper. It's almost bigger than him, not that that's really hard, but... anyway."

"I-Ian?"

"Oh, sorry. I got so caught up in thinking about Bryan. Ian is Kai's intelligence gatherer, and he's really short. He's just three feet tall. He sits by the computer all day long – and listens to people's calls and keep track on the snoops and snitches. He's really good. He hacked into the Pentagon once, you know. On Halloween. They got a trick without a treat."

"I don't know what all those things are," Tala whimpered. "I mean... I know what a computer is, of course, but what's a snoop and a snitch? And what's Pentagon?"

"What?" Rei looked at him in shock. "You don't know Pentagon? You can speak reasonably good English and you don't know about Pentagon?"

"I... I never went to school. I learned English from a guy who had his hideout close to mine... I can't even read..." Rei's eyes became big and sympathetic, and he put a hand on Tala's shoulder again.

"Then I'll teach you that too. Kai will probably put you to work in the family, and then you're gonna need to know how to read and write. Anyway, the Pentagon is a building where pretty much every single military secret America has is hidden away. Their security system is not easy to crack into. Ian did it in ten minutes."

"...oh. So... how do you know Kai?" Rei smiled happily again.

"Neighbours and then boarding school. We went to Kensington Correctional Academy together. Ok school. Boring as hell. Or, well, it was until Kai, me, Bryan, Spencer and Ian got to know each other. Kai got moved up to Ian and Bryan's class, and they already knew Spencer – so they introduced us. And I was Kai's room-mate. They called us the 'Apocalypse incarnated'. Of all the little criminal punks there – we were the worst."

"C-criminal punks?"

"Heh," Rei almost managed to look embarrassed. Almost. "It was a boarding school for rich kids with a criminal record. So we wouldn't put shame on our families by going to juvie."

"Huh?" Tala was stunned. "W-what were you there for?"

"Theft, forgery, fraud, assault, drinking in public, having sex in public, break-in, and of course truancy. Never forget the truancy." He gave a happy, angelic smile. "Spencer was there for assault, drinking in public, truancy and vandalism. Ian came there because of aggravated assault, flashing, illegal gambling, drinking in public, and truancy." Rei seemed lost in happy memories, and after a minute or two, knowing he might regret it, Tala poked his shoulder to get him back on track.

"Uhm, what about Kai and Bryan?" Rei started laughing.

"Oh dear Buddha!" he chuckled. "They were the worst. Kai was in for aggravated assault, illegal possession of weapons, attempted murder – though he still claims it to be a misunderstanding – GTA, drinking in public, fencing, illegal gambling, illegal loans, extortion...and...uhm...oh, yes. Truancy." He shook his head affectionately. "He really found a soul-mate in Bryan. He was there because of aggravated assault, racial agitation, armed robbery, theft, break-in, drinking in public, illegal possession of weapons, extortion, attempted murder, involuntary manslaughter, carjacking and GTA. And truancy."

Tala looked like he was going to faint, and he stared at the happily purring Chinese, who was currently putting conditioner in his hair. First of all, what the hell was GTA and carjacking? And second of all; what the hell was wrong with these people? Were they the spawn of the devil, or what? Seriously! How had they managed to get those kinds of criminal records when they were just...

"Uhm, Rei?"

"Yeah?" The feline was now trying to get all the conditioner out of his hair.

"What's GTA? And car- car..jacking?"

"Car theft. Carjacking is when you steal a car with people in it." ((_Say fucking what?_))

"...oh... uhm, how old were you guys when you met?"

"Me and Kai were fifteen, Bryan and Ian sixteen, and Spencer seventeen. Well, Kai and I were neighbours here in Tokyo already, so we knew each other well. But the other guys and him just connected straight away. It was like we somehow had always known them. Kinda scary, but kinda cool."

((_What the motherfucking...__**fuck?**_))

Rei looked at him with a cheery smile, before pulling him out of the jacuzzi with unexpected strength and placing him on a chair in front of the large mirror. After rummaging around in the cabinets and drawers – revealing needles, surgical threads, bandages, bandages, band aids, compresses, disinfectant, bandages, migraine pills, tweezers and forceps, bandages, band aids, painkillers, anti febrile and some more bandages – he got hold of a shiny new razor. Tala looked at it, a tad worried. He was sitting, naked, on a chair in a bathroom belonging to a yakuza boss, with an equally naked, perverted, cat-man in front of him – holding a razor in his hand. Rei's beaming smile didn't help much.

"Alright," Rei said. "You don't have much of a beard really. But the few bristles you have are going to be exterminated!"

"E-exterm...inated...?"

"I'm gonna wipe them out. Kill them. Remove them." Rei made quick process of shaving off the (very) few bristles that existed on Tala's chin. After applying a cooling after shave lotion, he went and got hold of a pair of fresh boxers and a pair of Kai's sweatpants for the redhead – finally taking notice of the fact that the he wasn't comfortable with being naked around him. Tala quickly got dressed, and allowed Rei to lead him out into the huge living room.

Tala just stared. The ceiling was high, at least thirteen feet, and from it hung a huge chandelier in a very beautiful antique design and two large fans. What was visible of the walls were a deep red and the furniture in there was black. There was a big U-shaped couch facing a fire place with the biggest tv Tala had ever seen in his twenty-seven years of life.  
The coffee table standing in the middle of the U was heavy and built in a dark wood and kinda medieval looking, with big nails and pieces of ironwork around the edges. In a cosy looking corner were two big armchairs in the same fabric as the couch, with a high lamp placed between them, and a smaller coffee table with a pile of books on it. A few feet away from those, was a billiard table with red cloth instead of green. And the bookshelves. All these bookshelves! They were packed to their limits with books, and covered most of the walls, only leaving space for different glass cases with old books and what seemed like religious stuff in them. Above those hung different kinds of old weapons; swords, crossbows, daggers, katanas and other things he wasn't sure he wanted to know about.

He found the lack of artworks strange. When they were little, Kai had been so fascinated by art. When it was too cold to be outside, or if it started snowing when they were scavenging, they always sought refuge in churches – because no one bothered them in there. And Kai would always wander off and look at all the paintings, the statues, the mere architecture – and smile. It was only with him that Kai ever smiled – or laughed. And it was always so much fun to hear the little five-year-old telling him about all the stuff they saw. His excited, high-pitched boy-voice was like music to Tala, and the redhead found himself fascinated by arts as well after a while in his company. Once they had even managed to sneak into an arts museum – and Kai had been like a little sun of his own

He sighed. That little boy was undeniably dead now. This Kai was a cold, cruel monster. This Kai didn't know how to smile, didn't know how to be a normal person. He was... made of ice. He carried weapons, he no doubt killed people, he bought another human being like he was a toy, and this seriousness... Sure, the little Kai had also had a serious streak a mile long, but every now and then he could still break out in hysterical laughter or giggles, and just bubble with _'happy'_. Kai didn't seem happy anymore.

"Oi, earth to Tala!" Rei brought him out of his gloomy thoughts. He looked over at the feline man, who had a cell phone in his hand. "I'm gonna call Damien now, and he'll come over with the clothes and shoes and everything. It's gonna be just him, so don't worry."

"Ok. Thanks."

"Anything for you, love." He dialled a number, and waited not so patiently for someone to pick it up, tapping his foot and rolling his eyes. Finally, someone answered. "Damien, honey!" he greeted in English. "It's been forever, I know! Listen, we have a fashion emergency here. Uh-huh. Yeah, we have a new guy in the family, and he needs all the clothes we can give him. Everything. What do you mean, how am I gonna finance it? Now you listen me, you wannabe blacknette! Do you know who I work for? Or has your peanut of a brain not realized that? Don't snort at me! You are currently speaking in a disrespectful manner to Kai Hiwatari's personal assistant. You know the consequences if I inform my boss of this behaviour, right? Really now? Last guy who bitched with me is socializing with the crabs on the bottom of Tokyo harbour." He smirked, showing bright white fangs. "I knew we would come to an understanding. I love your clothes, and Mr. Hiwatari was very clear on the point that our new brother is to look good no matter the price tag. So, you have two hours to get everything together and come over to the HQ. His size? Hang on." Rei took a good look at Tala with a concentrated frown. "He's five foot nine, and should fit marvellously in a size small or medium, he's a bit on the skinny side right now. Shoes? Let's see... I'd say a nine. Yes, of course I mean US sizes! Jeez, you're American – how the hell are you going to understand any other way of measurements? And I mean that with love, you know that. Ok, two hours. Bye bye, love!" He hung up and looked at Tala with a rather exasperated expression. "Americans!" he sighed and rolled his eyes. "You hungry?"

"Did you just...threaten to kill a guy?" Tala asked.

"Well, he should know better than to piss me off. Are you hungry?"

"A little," the redhead managed to stutter out – realizing that he was indeed in dire need of some food. Rei smiled, and took his hand so he could lead him to the kitchen. Again, Tala could do nothing but stare. The kitchen was huge too! What was this place? Fucking penthouse version of the Winterpalace? It contained every single appliance one could possibly need, a fridge as big as Tala and an equally big freezer. The dinner table was in the same dark wood as the tables in the living room, and the chairs matched it perfectly. Another chandelier hung from the ceiling and a large candelabra was placed on the middle of the table. The Chinese man began rummaging around in the fridge, sighing and muttering something incoherent in what he guessed to be Mandarin.

"Is there a problem?" Tala asked and peeked over the blacknette's shoulder. The fridge contained... bottled water, and...well, nothing else. Rei sighed and closed the door.

"I swear I'm gonna start force feeding him soon!" he snarled. "Seriously!"

"What do you mean?" Rei looked at him as if he was surprised that he had spoken out loud. He gave a meek smile and scratched the back of his head.

"Kai... isn't that big on food," he said. "He... kinda forgets it sometimes... and... well, he loses weight really easily, but has a hard time gaining it. And he works out like everyday, so he needs to eat, but... Yeah, I usually cook for him, but I've been out of town for a few days, so I guess he's forgotten it again. Heh...aaaanyway!" He got his cell phone out again and dialled a number. "Hey, Spencer, darling! I forgot the number to our grocery shopper. Do you have it? Yeah, Kai's fridge is empty again. Fuck it, guys, I thought I said to make sure he eats! What do you mean, you kinda been busy? Do you want him to starve to death? No, I didn't think so. Now, can I have the number, honey? Thanks! You're the best!"

He immediately dialled a new number, and started talking really fast in Japanese. Tala was a bit...dumbfounded. He didn't quite know what to make of Rei. He was energetic and cheery, very slutty and perverted by the looks of it, threatened to kill people left and right, knew martial arts, had a criminal record a mile long and acted like Kai was his precious child or something. And what was up with all those 'love' and 'honey'? Deciding to not question anything and just go with it, he sat down by the table and looked around the room again. He had expected something really hyper modern, designed bullshit, maybe even something classical – but certainly not this medieval European style. But, he had to admit, there was something undeniably _Kai _about it.

Xxx xXx xxX

Six loud bangs echoed through the room, and Kai put the gun down on the table in front of him and pulled off the ear protectors, before giving Bryan a sign to retrieve the target. The lilac-haired man pushed a button, and the man-shaped target board moved to where the bluenette was standing. One large round hole was visible in the chest of the figure, and one small was situated in the middle of the figure's forehead.

"_And you need us to shoot people, why?_" Bryan chuckled. "_Well, your hand is healed up, that's for sure._"

"_Hn,_" Kai said as he studied the holes. "_The fourth shot was a bit off, but still acceptable._"

"_Hell yeah. It was a killing shot no matter how you look at it._" Bryan studied the target closely. "_It's a matter of millimetres for it to go in the same hole as the others. You can hit a fly at a sixty feet distance with that thing anyway, and you know it. _"

"_Yeah. Uncle Ken was good teacher. I think it pissed papa off that his kid brother was a better shot than him. But Ken was with me all the time, so we had time to practice. Papa was busy most of the time. Shit, I remember how I always had to be really fucking careful when I came home from school, and just be prepared to throw myself on the floor. Damn when those two decided to prove who was the best._"

"_Yeah,_" Bryan chuckled. "_I remember. Coming to live at your house was a dream come true. By the way, how is Ken-san? Have you heard from him lately?_" Kai sighed, and then he smiled.

"_He was in Florida last time I spoke to him. That was about three weeks back. Apparently, he enjoyed it. Something about hot American chicks. Kinda hard talking to him. He seemed distracted._" Bryan had a laughing fit.

"_I swear! That man is almost as big a perv as Ian!_"

"_And as big a slut as Rei._" Both men started laughing hard, leaning against the walls of the booths for support. Eventually, Kai managed to collect himself a bit. "_He's- he's coming back in a few weeks. I hope._"

"_Well, Rei will be pleased, that's for sure._"

"_That slut will be on him like a band aid._" He reloaded his gun, a modified, black Desert Eagle, and looked at his friend. "_Alright, moving target. Then we'll go have a drink._"

"_Alright!_" Bryan grinned. But just when he was replacing the destroyed target board, the door opened, allowing Spencer in. The blonde looked a bit...wild-eyed, so they figured Rei had called him. Rei and his relaxed attitude towards anything sex-related was something Spencer found difficult to deal with. He liked Rei – of course – but being the extreme prude he was, it wasn't easy. And the way Rei called everyone 'love' or 'darling' or 'honey', always made him nervous.

"_What's up, Spence?_" Bryan asked. "_Rei made another dirty call to ya?_"

"_That man makes nothing but dirty calls!_" Spencer whined. "_No matter what it's about, he always has to put something in it that's inappropriate. Dear Lord!_" He looked at his boss. "_Rei wants you to eat._"

"_Ya been skippin' meals again?_" Bryan inquired.

"_What of it?_" Kai snorted. "_I've been busy._"

"_You're not fucking normal!_" Bryan sighed. "_If there's anything you're never too fucking busy to do, it's fucking eating. Come on, dinner and then a drink._"

"_Rei called our grocery shopper_," Spencer said. "_I'd say we head back up and see what he's making._"

"_Yeah,_" Bryan agreed. "_No one can cook like our kitty-boy._" They looked at Kai, who rolled his eyes with a slight hint of a smile.

"_Alright,_" he said. "_We go up to my place and eat. We can have the drink with a game of pool. We need to discuss the meeting with those American fuckers tomorrow. I prefer not to do that in the office. Who knows if someone's bugged the room._"

"_Aint Ian keeping check on that?_"

"_The computer surveillance has been down for a few days. Ian's rebuilding it. Some kind of virus or whatever._" He frowned. "_Speaking of Ian. When we've finished dinner, call him. He has been gathering data on those fuckers for the last few weeks. I need to know all of it before we sit down with them._"

"_Got it._"

Kai removed the clip from the gun and handed both objects to Bryan, who put them in a simple red mahogany box. They exited the shooting range, allowing other family members in. No one but Kai's closest men were allowed in there at the same time as him. They had all to patiently wait until their leader was finished – no matter how many hours he spent in there. And if Bryan and Spencer were in there – or Ian, for that matter – they were happy to stay away. They held great respect for Hiwatari-sama's closest men, but that didn't mean they weren't scared shitless of them. People quickly got out of their way as the three men made their way to the elevator and got in it.

Kai was hoping Tala wouldn't be scared to death by the two other Russians – but there was an impending possibility that he would indeed. He smirked to himself. Well, if Tala survived being 'fashion-rescued' by Rei, he could deal with these two. Ian might be a bigger problem, though. He smirked to himself. An interesting problem.

Bryan and Spencer shared a quick look. Kai seemed to be in a better mood today than he had been lately. Ever since the out of control gun fight three weeks back when Kai's wrist had been badly twisted, he had been in a really pissy mood. They had won – of course. They always won. But Kai got so fucking cranky and short-tempered when he was injured in any way. And it was hard to get him to take it easy. He was always pressing at his limits, always making sure to set an example for his family – that no matter how much pain he was in, no matter the injuries, he kept on going and never ever broke down. Not in public anyway.

Contrary to popular belief, Kai had a very wide and complex range of emotions, he was just insanely good at hiding them – even to himself. He would still get these periods of pitch black depressions – when he questioned everything; his worth, his mind, his life, his business, his sanity, his humanity. During those periods, he went to one of his houses in Kyoto and stayed there until the darkness had left his mind. The old house was his sanctuary. The only people ever allowed entry was Bryan, Ian, Spencer and Rei and three servants that had been with the family for decades. There, he would walk around the beautiful gardens dressed in which ever yukata of his that fitted his mood, or sit at one of the small verandas and watch the sun set – silent most of the time. At night, Bryan, Ian and Spencer took turns sitting outside his room – they were his bodyguards, after all – and Rei slept next to him in the simple futon, offering what comfort he could. Sometimes they had sex, sometimes Rei gave him much needed massages, other times Kai cried. It was always so painful when he did. He never let a sob escape him, he didn't make a single sound, his body didn't shake – it was only silent tears falling from his closed ruby eyes. Even when in such terrible state, he never let the weakness show more than that. Never would he break and cry like a child. Never.

All of them knew that the only reason Kai let them see him like that was that he considered them his friends. He would never consciously admit to it – he did, after all, consider friends a distraction that could prove fatal – but they knew. And hell, Kai was probably the best friend any of them could ever have. The bluenette was always there for them. He had this eerie sense of when something was bothering them, and make them spill it to him. He was extremely territorial regarding his friends, and if someone fucked with them – fucked with what he considered _his_ – shit, all hell broke loose. That was what had instigated that completely out of control gun fight in an old warehouse down by the harbour. A hostile gang belonging to another family had got hold of Rei, thinking they could blackmail Kai into some shitty deal of theirs if they threatened the life of one of his closest people. Things had not gone exactly according to their plan. Kai had met them with about fifteen men of his own, and a crate. The crate turned out to hold the leader's wife, and when Kai casually put a gun to her head, things went ugly.

The man had acted a bit too rash – and the whole situation had completely erupted. When the last shot had been fired, Kai had lost five men, and his enemy had lost all of his, and his wife had lost her beauty. Bryan had cut the corners of her mouth up at least an inch on each side. Just as a reminder of what happens when you touch what belongs to Katsurou 'Kai' Hiwatari. Kai's hand had gotten hurt when he had caught a flying Rei and thrown them both to the floor to avoid the crossfire. He had, unfortunately landed on his hand so bad that it had snapped out of place. That had pissed him off, to say the least. To the point of him actually shooting the man responsible in his...most intimate place. But since then he had been cranky. Until today. Today he seemed to a little less homicidal than usual. But it took someone very close to him to see the tiny nuances in his features and notice it.

Xxx xXx xxX

"Oh dear Buddha!" Rei happily exclaimed next to Tala. The redhead was studying his appearance in the full length mirror. "This outfit is even better! See, I told you, Damien, that he just can't wear anything 'innocent'! He's too much a bad boy for that." The American stylist sighed for the umpteenth time since he had gotten there. He was a bit ashamed to admit that the Chinese man had more of a fashion sense than him. But together they had picked out a whole wardrobe for the redhead. From the basic socks and underwear, to all kinds of pants he could ever need, shirts, t-shirts, tank tops, sweaters, hoodies, suit jackets, regular jackets, scarves, gloves, shoes, accessories – you name it, he got it.

"Yes, Mr. Kon," he said with a faint smile. You really couldn't stay annoyed with that man for long. "He looks amazing – just as promised."

"Ah, it's Rei, love," the blacknette smiled. "I think we've got everything now, don't we, Tala?" Tala nodded quietly, he was still staring at himself in the mirror. He could not recall himself ever looking this good – this _normal_. He wore a pair of slightly ragged light blueish grey jeans, a royal blue tank top that hugged his slim chest in a very flattering way, and over it he wore an open black short sleeved shirt with a pattern of roses and skulls printed in the same blue on the left side. He looked damned hot. Sure, even back in Moscow, he had tried to dress in clothes that wouldn't scream 'stray dog' to everyone within a mile's radius. It was mainly very worn jeans and hoodies, normal enough to fool people at a distance. It was only when they came close that they could see in just how bad a shape the garments really were. It wasn't that he was ashamed of being homeless, it was mainly the fact that he hated when people either pitied him or spat at him. He had chosen it for himself. Six foster-homes, and even a round in a juvenile detention centre had convinced him that he preferred to be on his own – no matter how hard it was.

Rei bounced over to the American stylist and hugged him and kissed his cheek – successfully shocking the other man to the core.

"Sooo," Rei smiled. "Let's hear the price tag!" Damien didn't know what to do with himself. Never in his life had he met a person who had picked out clothes for at _least_ ten thousand dollars – and smiled when asking how much. He began typing in prices on his pocket calculator, and the sum had just reached above eleven thousand, when the front door was unlocked and opened. Seconds later, the master of the house appeared – causing Damien to flinch slightly and suddenly feeling very small. The cold red eyes were directed at him, and a slate blue brow arched. Realizing how important it was to give a good impression, he bowed slightly, and said;

"Good evening, Mr. Hiwatari."

"You finished?" came the yakuza leader's smooth but cold voice. Damien shuddered at how void it was of emotions.

"Y-yes, sir."

"Rei, you finished the payment?"

"We were just about to!" Rei cheered, and looked over at the calculator in the other man's hand. "Damien, darling. How much is it going to be? Hiwatari-sama doesn't have all night."

Damien deflated. He had realized that the clothes cost a lot more than eleven thousand – but there was no way in hell he would charge it in front of this man. The cold he radiated, the relentless gaze upon his face, the unemotional air surrounding him and his two... _demons_, told him that he would show this man respect and compliance if he valued his life. He regretted snorting at Rei when the man had told him not to disrespect him. Now that he was faced with the man the cheery Chinese worked for – he was plain and simply terrified.

"If you would be so kind," he said, still bowing. "As to consider these garments a gift. I am honoured to have served the Hiwatari family. Please accept this token of my gratitude."

"Hn." He looked up, trying to decipher what that had meant. The fact that he was still alive and that no weapons were directed at him, told him that it had at least not been a disapproval.

"Great!" Rei smiled and pulled Damien with him towards the door. "We look forward to doing business with you again! Now go home and get some well earned rest, honey. It's been a long day, huh?" The American just stuttered out something incoherent and then left as fast as he could.

Tala hardly noticed the man's flight. He had just gotten a first look at Bryan and Spencer. The two Russian men were looking at the disappearing back of the American, smirking. They weren't wearing black suits, but regular clothes. Bryan wore a pair of cammo green cargo pants and a tight black t-shirt – revealing muscular and tattoo covered arms. His feet were steadily placed in a pair of mean looking combat boots. Spencer wore plain loosely fitted jeans and a green t-shirt – revealing more muscles than Tala thought possible to have. He had on a pair of regular skate shoes, but Tala still did not want to be kicked by those feet! And Rei had not been kidding about the blonde's size. He wasn't a human, he was a fucking walking sky scraper! He also noticed that a big knife was placed in a sheath at Bryan's left hip, and a gun in a holster on his right. Spencer wore the same equipment, only reversed. Kai's bodyguards... Yes, they frightened him more than a little bit. He had a feeling that if he tried to escape, or hurt Kai in any way, these two would put him out of his misery pretty quickly – and no doubt messy.

"Oi, Rei," Spencer said to the blacknette as he came strolling back into the bedroom. "Anything edible underway?"

"Of course!" Rei smiled. "I'm making a real quick Szechuan chicken. It should be ready any minute now. Come on, help me set the table, and I'll show you where Kai keeps his vodka!" The two men grinned widely and followed the smaller man to the kitchen – not even looking at Tala. Kai, however, was looking at Tala. The redhead noticed his gaze, and his mouth went a bit dry. Kai approached him and took a good look at him and his new clothes.

"_Rei did a good job,_" he said. "_As always. I hope he didn't traumatize you too much._"

"_N-no,_" Tala stuttered. "_But I- I hope you're not intending to let him anywhere near me or a bathtub again._" He nervously played with the hem of the tank top, and something of a smile tugged at Kai's lips – making Tala's heart skip a beat. So he could smile! Or, well, at least remember the basics.

"_I forgot about that,_" he said simply. "_Rei is like that with everyone. If he gets too clingy, just punch him in the face. That usually helps._"

"_Uhm... o-ok._" Kai had turned to look at the rest of the clothes that lay spread all over his bedroom, with a look of approval on his sharp features. Then he turned to Tala and nodded in the direction of the kitchen.

"_Let's go._" He turned and walked out of the bedroom, Tala hurrying to follow. They found Spencer sitting by the kitchen table, blushing like a tomato, and observing Rei and Bryan next to the stove. The two men were cooking and playfully fondling with each other like they were long time lovers. Kai sighed.

"Bryan," he said. The lilac-haired man immediately stopped what he was doing and backed off a few steps – however, still grinning. Kai looked at him. "You two can catch up later. Rei, is the food ready?"

"Sure is!" Rei cheered and brought a large pot full of the delectable stew to the table, followed by Bryan with a bowl of rice. As they sat down, both Bryan and Spencer noticed Tala – as in actually noticed him.  
Spencer extended a huge hand to shake that of the redhead.

"Privyet, I'm Spencer Petrov," he said.

"Tala," Tala stuttered, trying not to wince at the firm grip. "Tala Ivanov."

"Moscow native, huh?" Bryan said and extended his hand as well. "Well, we Moscow boys gotta stick together. I'm Bryan Kuznetsov, nice to meet ya." Tala smiled and nodded back. Scary as these two men were, they seemed rather relaxed and easy to be around. His attention turned to the seat next to him, where Kai was just battling Rei and a ladle full of stew.

"Rei," the bluenette said sternly. "Stop. I have enough food on this plate already to feed a lesser army!"

"But you're gonna get skinny, darling! We can't waste those gorgeous muscles of yours, now can we?" Bryan and Spencer paid it no attention – they were busy attacking the food with a ferocity that would make even the feral hounds back in Moscow look bad.

"Rei, stop that right now!" Kai's voice had gotten more than a little bit of steel in it, and Tala noticed that both his bodyguards shrunk a bit – a quick look to the side told him that Rei had done that as well. Though, he added a pout.

"Sorry, Kai. I just get worried, you know."

"Whatever. Eat you own damn food now, before Bry and Spence goes for seconds." Rei hurried to grab Tala's plate over Kai's arms and put a generous amount of food on it, before doing the same to his own. He only just let go of the ladle when Bryan's hand shot out, took the ladle and went for seconds. Tala stared at them, and then at his plate. He was suddenly thankful for not having eaten properly for a long time. The portion on his plate was more than enough to fill him, which was good, seeing that Spencer just helped himself to his second plate, and thereby emptying both the pots. He was also beyond words grateful to Rei for putting forks on the table instead of chop sticks. In fact, Rei was the only one using sticks to eat; the three Russians seemed to prefer ordinary cutlery. The food was the most delicious he had ever eaten, and he could see why Bryan and Spencer were downing it like they would die of starvation without another bite. They didn't speak during the meal, which was fine by him. He was still trying to get used to their presence. When they were finished, Kai just looked at Rei and said;

"After you take care of this and get Tala's things into the guest bedroom, I need you to join us in the living room. We have business to discuss." Tala would have punched anyone speaking to him like that when he was the guy's personal assistant – but Rei just smiled.

"Always so dominating, love," he purred. "But sure, last time any of you tried to do the dishes, I had broken plates and glass all over the floor – not to mention half of the cutlery buried in the walls."

"That was all Bry's fault," Spencer said and punched the lilac-haired man on the arm. "As usual."

"No, it was your fault for being a fucking pussy and get all riled up about me trying to hook you up with that gorgeous piece of ass I met down at the bar. Seriously, Spence. You got some issues."

"Bryan!" the blonde whined and blushed. "Kai, can you make him stop doing that?"

"No," Kai said simply. "It amuses me too much. Besides, I do agree that you're crazy for turning that guy down." Spencer hid his face in his giant palms and sighed deeply. "Now get moving, you two. Pool and a drink. Tala, let's go."

The redhead didn't realize he followed the command almost instinctively until he was in the living room, standing by the floor to ceiling windows and looking out over a rainy Tokyo. But then again, he wasn't surprised. This Kai just dominated everyone. The way that annoying stylist had reacted when he came through the door... Tala could almost smell the fear off him. _Fear._ Apparently Kai was a man you were supposed to be afraid of. Even Bryan and Spencer had reacted when he had just let an inch of steel into his voice. And he had to admit to himself that he was scared. He was scared to death of this man. A large form suddenly stood next to him, and he looked to find Bryan there with a glass of what he guessed to be whiskey held out for him to take. Tala meekly shook his head. Bryan arched a brow.

"_Not a drinker, huh?_" he said. "_Gotta take that outta you sometime. But, meh, more for me._" He downed the glass and smacked his lips appreciatively.

"_I just... haven't drunk in a while,_" Tala said, trying to sound calm. "_And I don't know if the drug is gonna do something weird to me if I drink._" The lilac-haired man nodded.

"_Yeah, that drug's a fucking bitch. Ya just be lucky Kai's the one who bought you._" A bitter snort escaped the redhead, and before he really thought it over, he said;

"_Well, I would much rather have been bought by some random perverted fuckhead than by the one person in the world I ever called my friend – and realize he's become some kind of monster in human disguise._" Bryan looked at him with a gaze full of steel. Tala realized he might have spoken a bit rash.

"_That just shows you're a fucking idiot_," Bryan snorted. "_Kai's at least got honour. I saw the leftovers of a pet one of the guys at the auction you were at once. And let me just say, that unless you wanna end up raped in every hole in your body, have pieces of your body cut out while you're still alive, and then be strangled in your own entrails – you should be worshipping the ground he walks on._"

Tala went wicked pale, and Bryan shot him another glance full of steel.

"_Kai's treating you like a prince compared to what any other buyer there would've. And you listen to me; he'll treat you good as long as you don't bitch around. If you piss him off, he might not be all that nice to you. And if you do anything stupid, like trying to hurt him and run away – I will be on your tail like a hound from fucking hell, and I'll kill you._" Still pale as a sheet, Tala nodded. He didn't doubt for a second that Bryan meant what he said. The lilac-haired man was quiet for a while, just looking out at the rain, and then put a hand on the redhead's shoulder.

"_Livin' and workin' for Kai is a good life. I think you'll fit right into the family. Maybe he'll even let you work with us. Who knows. Or he can always ship you back to Russia. But if he decides for you to stay – you won't ever need anything in your life. He'll make sure you're covered for everything._"

"_Uhm, thanks,_" Tala said. "_I think._"

"_Just being honest. Kai is a good man, until you piss him off._"

"_Bryan,_" came Kai's voice a few feet away. "_First round is you and me._" The lilac-haired man turned around with a wide smile and accepted the cue his boss handed to him. Tala cautiously followed and took seat in an armchair next to the table. He had never played pool in his life, but it looked like fun. Bryan took the first shot, sending the balls flying all over the table, and then grinned at the bluenette, before emptying his own glass of whiskey. Kai studied the position of the balls for a moment, and made a choice. But just when he leaned forward to aim, Spencer's voice broke the silence a few feet away.

"_No, you listen to me, you perverted fucking midget! I don't give a shit about who you've got in your bed and doing God knows what with. Kai wants you up here to discuss business – and that means you're gonna do what he says, or we'll have your fucking neck, got it?_" Kai looked at him with an arched brow, and the turned to Bryan.

"_He cursed,_" he said. Bryan beamed.

"_He sure did._"

"_Good job, Bry._"

"_Thanks._"

The finer nuances of that little exchange was lost to Tala. What was so strange about Spencer cursing? Didn't they all? He didn't have time to ponder that long on it, though, because the front door once again opened – allowing the smallest man Tala had ever seen in. Dark violet hair was pointing in all directions, and a nose the size of an elephant's trunk decorated his face. He was dressed in a pair of cargo pants and a shirt that was still open – by the looks of it, he had put on the clothes rather fast. He had a bunch of paper folders in his hand and he just dropped them on the table next to Tala, and then he spotted the redhead. A rather hungry expression poured up over his features, and the grin was anything but reassuring.

"_Well well well,_" he said. "_What have we here? A little devil?_" Tala just looked at him with an arched brow. "_I've never played with a devil before. Maybe you should join the party at my place after this, ne?_" Tala's eyes widened, but before he could make any sort of come back, a foot caught Ian in the face and sent him tumbling over the floor. He looked at the owner of the foot, and found Kai glaring death at the small man.

"_Now you listen to me, you perverted fucking sex addict,_" he said in a very cold voice. "_Tala belongs to me. If you lay one hand on him, I will string you up from this roof and let the birds pick you clean. Am I making myself clear, Ian?_" The small man yelped, and nodded.

"_Got it, boss._"

"_Good. Now give me the details on those American fuckheads. They're up to something. I can feel it._" It was like pulling a switch. Ian was back on his feet with a look of pure professionalism of his face – slightly marred by the fact that the corner of his mouth was bleeding. He picked up one of the folders and began doing his job.

"_Well,_" he said. "_This new guy they've put in charge – Michael O'Connor – is a smart guy. He hides all his business behind the mask of an angel. He claims just to be a spoiled rich brat, living off daddy's money and donating to charity. But through his house goes millions and millions worth of gambling money, drug money, trafficking money and blood money. And he somehow covers it all up as investments in a whole load of shit. Like medical products, construction projects, housing projects for immigrants – stuff like that. Those who go against him end up shot, if they're lucky. He's one twisted fucker. He's a paedophile too, the son of a bitch._" Kai grunted and took a shot.

"_And what does he wants with us?_" he asked. "_He hasn't made anything clear, and it annoys me._"

"_Well, he wants to use us and our influence over the underground business to establish here. If he's got you backing him up, then he will be really powerful._"

"_But?_"

"_But he will also try to outmanoeuvre you to take all the power for himself. Because that's his real goal. Now, he's gonna offer you twenty percent of his income on all business here in Japan, and probably show you proper respect at first. But, he'll make sure he's got something of yours to ensure cooperation from you. He wants to turn the tables so you're the one on your knees instead of him. He will use all foul tactics he knows against you. Lure you in, and then crush you before you know it. That's how he does things. He wants to be in your place, Kai._"

"_Which is not possible_," Kai said calmly. "_Because he is American. The council don't allow their kind in their hall._"

"_We know that, but he doesn't. But it will still be a whole lotta trouble if he starts that shit. And he will. He's greedy. He's been drooling over the idea of being a big shot and associate of a powerful family for years now. He's even started doing some things our way. Or, well, the way he thinks we do stuff._"

"_So he thinks he can just come over to my town, try to fuck me over, and start a whole load of shit, because he thinks he's some really bad ass little mobster?_"

"_Yeah._"

"_Well,_" Kai said with an icy smile. "_He's in deep shit if he tries. He'll find that Hollywood and the real Tokyo are two quite different things. If he wants to know how yakuza settle things, then why don't we just show him. I hate brats. And especially brats who rapes kids. He's not getting anything from me besides a quick funeral._"

"_So, what's our tactic?_" Bryan asked as he took a shot and pocketed two balls in one go.

"_Send...hm, send Takeo and his guys to give us something to gamble with._"

"_No lock down?_" Spencer asked. Kai pondered it for a moment.

"_No,_" he said finally. "_If we lock this place down before the meeting, it will make us look like we're worried. Here's what we're going to do. Invite him here._"

"_What?_" both Ian, Bryan and Spencer cried. Kai held up a hand and they went quiet.

"_Allow him to bring five men with him, and we will hold the meeting in the small conference room. If he starts shit in my home, we will lock him in here, and then we'll see how much of a bad ass he really is. I want you three with me. Five men outside the room, and then a few more positioned down the halls._"

"_And Kitty-boy?_"

"_He'll be greeting them, and the he'll go into the other room – so he can punch the lock down code if shit goes bad._"

"_The lock down code to the house or the conference room?_"

"_The conference room. The house will be locked down the second he's inside the lobby._" The three men nodded, and Tala went a bit pale.

"_Hardware?_" Bryan asked.

"_Allow O'Connor to keep his. Replace all but one sharp bullet from the others._" The lilac-haired man nodded. "_Keep your edged ones hidden_."

"_Got it._"

Rei cane bouncing into the room, and settling down in the armchair next to Tala's. He smiled widely at the four Russian men and their conversation.

"You know," he said to them. "I never thought Russian was a sexy language until I met you four. Please continue! It sounds so nice. And mean." Four brows arched, and then four pair of lips turned into smirks.

"No," Bryan said in English. "You're clingy enough as it is."

"Meanie!" Rei pouted. "What were you talking about? I heard O'Connor something..."

Kai repeated what they had agreed on, and the blacknette looked thoughtful for a moment – face changed from the cheery grin to one very serious. He extended a hand and Ian gave him the folders. After skimming through them, he nodded.

"I see why you're doing it this way. Michael O'Connor is a total idiot – but a dangerous total idiot if given enough room to move. I don't like the idea of having to leave the room, Kai. Not at all. But I can see the reason for it. You want them to feel sure of themselves, like they're on top. And then they find out they're not. And I guess also to keep me from firing shots at anyone."

"Correct," Kai said. "You're a genius with anything edged, but guns just isn't your thing. And besides, I need someone high up to be outside that room if it turns ugly. You've got the authority to do all the necessary things to clean up the mess. You'll be in charge of making sure our guys have clear aim at his little entourage outside the house." Rei nodded.

"I understand. But please, if someone bitches with me... let me beat the shit out of him afterwards. Pleeeease? Pretty please with cherry on top?"

"Of course."

Rei positively beamed.

"Kitten," Bryan chuckled. "You've got issues." Rei poked his tongue out at the older man, and then looked at Tala.

"And what about Red here?"

"What do you mean?" Kai arched a brow as he let Spencer have his cue.

"Is he going to stay up here? If shit goes down, he's the safest with me. I can lock down the conference room, but I can lock down the room I'm in as well. And both those rooms are fucking a-bomb proof."

"And why would he not be safe up here?" the bluenette calmly questioned.

"Because if you lock down the house, you seal off every single way out, except the underground escape routes. If someone should manage to get up here, he's a sitting duck. We will pull all security down to the third floor and below. This floor will be unprotected since you're not up here." Kai let a hint of a smile flicker over his features.

"Very good, Rei," he said. "Yes, keep him close to you until the meeting is over."

"You already knew that, didn't you?" Rei pouted."

"Of course." Kai looked out the window. "I own this house, remember?"

They continued playing and drinking for a couple of hours, talking about other subjects. They seemed so relaxed together, Tala noticed. It was obvious that these people were good friends. But still Kai was obviously also their superior. As soon as they were stepping a bit too close to the line, he would just clear his throat or hold his hand up – and they immediately stopped what they were doing. Bryan and Spencer carried guns, for fucks sake! They could have easily turned on him if they wanted to – but they let themselves be ruled by the calm bluenette. And they seemed happy with it. This whole thing was so confusing. They were murderers! They spoke about murder and torture and blackmailing like it was nothing out of the ordinary – like it was just business. They lived on the dark side of the universe everyday. They were monsters. But still, they seemed to be so relaxed and happy around each other. When together like this, they seemed to be just a group of good friends hanging out. A group of friends that carried weapons... No, this made no sense to him. They were gangsters! The bad guys! The villains! They weren't supposed to be this..._human!_

Tala woke up a few hours later from the deep and comfortable sleep, and had to look around a bit before realizing he was lying in a bed in one of Kai's guest bedrooms. He hadn't really known whether to be relieved or hurt that Kai had decided to give him his own room. The redhead had been somewhat surprised to find that Rei also lived in this apartment, a bit further up the hall from Tala himself. But it felt very reassuring that he did. Being alone with Kai in this huge penthouse was a bit scary. Rei's cheery personality eased the uncomfortable feeling. His mouth felt a bit dry, and he decided to go get a glass of water. Kai had told him that he was free to move around the penthouse as he wished. Only the doors that were locked were forbidden. Moving as quietly as he possibly could – which was as quiet as a ghost, really – he made his way up the hall towards the kitchen. As he walked into the living room, staying close to the wall in order not to get lost in the vast space, he saw something by the window. The pale moonlight showed the figure of Kai, looking out at the night, dressed in only a pair of boxers. Once again, Tala's breathing hitched at the sight, and he cursed himself inwardly. Another shadow appeared from the direction of the bluenette's bedroom, and Rei joined him – also just wearing boxers. The cat-man – or 'neko', as he had called himself – put his arms around the muscular Russian, caressing his chest in a very intimate way.

"What are you doing up again, Kai?" he heard Rei say in a very soft voice.

"What am I always doing, Rei?"

"Thinking."

"Hn."

"You need to learn to let yourself relax every now and then, love. Please. It wears on you if you're always on edge like this."

"Bad stuff tends to happen when I relax, Rei," Kai sighed. "And besides, with the meeting coming up tomorrow, I would be a fool if I relaxed now."

"You know what I mean." He saw Rei's slender hands roam over Kai's ivory skin, and somewhere inside him, something hurt. "Come back to bed, Katsurou. I'll give you a massage, and you'll be able to sleep well." The slender hands pressed down on his skin a bit more determinately, causing a soft moan to escape Kai's lips. "See, you're hard as a plank."

"Rei," Kai said in a low voice. The neko hummed as he continued to massage the bluenette's back and neck. "Stop." There was something in his voice as he said that, that made Tala think that he might not have meant it as in actually 'I don't like what you're doing right now'-stop. Rei reached up and kissed him softly on the neck.

"Katsurou-chan," he said again. "Come to bed. I'll help you relax a bit." He took his boss by the hand and gently led him back to the bedroom. Tala stared at their vanishing backs. He tried to grasp this odd sting of pain inside at the sight of Rei so intimately caressing the bluenette's body. Surely, it must be the drug still acting up on him. Yes, that had to be it. The drug was making him see things. Forgetting all about that glass of water, he went back to bed. This drug was a real bitch.

**Xxx xXx xxX**

Katsurou = _Katsu_, meaning 'victory', and _rou_ meaning 'son'. Kai's adoptive father re-named him, but thankfully gave him a name that allowed him to keep his old name as a nickname.

Privyet is Russian for 'hello'

So, what's the deal with Rei and Kai? And Rei and Bryan? And Kai and Tala? Well, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?

Reviews?


	3. The Incident

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**Warning: **All warnings apply. Additional warnings: violence, blood.

**Xxx xXx xxX**

Kai woke up just before seven am, feeling more rested than he had done the previous couple of days. He had the beginning of a headache, though, and really felt the need for a shower. Moving carefully, so not to disturb Rei, he lifted his head from where he had been sleeping on his abs, and crept out of bed. The neko mumbled something in his sleep, and rolled over, but didn't wake up. The bluenette placed a soft kiss on his cheek, and went to put on a new pair of underwear and some sweatpants. Sharing bed with the blacknette was very satisfying. His presence was comforting, relaxing. He was amazing to have sex with, and didn't bitch around and try to get all possessive on him. Many people probably thought they were a couple, and if they wanted to believe that – it was fine by him. He didn't really care. They both knew there was nothing romantic going on between them – nor had there ever been. This relationship had been this way since their early teens. When tension needed release, when nightmares got hard, when nights became cold – they shared bed. Rei was a huge slut, and everyone knew it. Kai didn't give a shit about it. He had first rights to the neko's body when he wanted, and he himself slept around a fair bit too. Just labelling them fb's might not really describe it, but it came the closest. The bluenette didn't care who Rei slept with when he wasn't in his bed – it was simply none of his business. The only rules Rei had to follow when choosing his playmates were; make sure they're not with a family that can give us trouble, use protection, and don't bring them here.

It was pretty much only spouses that ever got clearance to come to the house. Bringing boyfriends or girlfriends there was too big a risk. They didn't want anyone outside family to have any idea how the inside of the house's living quarters looked. That might sound paranoid to most, but they had laid down that rule early on, to make sure everyone could feel relaxed at home. This house was supposed to be their fort. Their sanctuary away from all the shit outside. Risking it was just not on the agenda. Everyone agreed on it, and it had never been an issue – they all knew how important it was to have a safe HQ. Well, Ian had a habit of breaking that rule, but Kai had managed to solve the problem by moving the small man's living quarters down to his little domains in the basement. All the doors there were locked 24/7 anyway, and needed clearance from Kai to open – so that was doable. All the men sharing hall with Ian had come to thank him for moving him down to the basement. Now they could all finally get a decent night's sleep!

He turned the water on cold as always and a shiver ran through his body, forcing out a small groan when he stepped under the stream. The headache retreated and he felt his body waking up and his mind being cleared from the dull sleepiness he had been wrapped in. When his skin felt like ice, he stepped out of the shower and proceeded to remove the almost invisible growth of beard he had. That was a thing about his body he had never really understood. From what he could remember, the men in his Russian family looked like bears, more or less. Kai seemed to have all the hair gathered on top of his head. The rest of him was smooth as velvet. Not that he minded – it saved a lot of energy when shaving came to mind – but he still thought it odd. He quickly dried up and got in his boxers and pants, and then headed out to the kitchen to get some coffee. Rei wasn't awake yet, which was nothing out of the ordinary. After being fucked into the mattress by Kai, the neko tended to want a few extra hours worth of sleep. But sitting by the kitchen table, looking rather small and lost – dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a loosely fitted hoodie – was Tala. The redhead was curled up on the chair, resting his chin on his knee, seemingly lost in thoughts. It wasn't until Kai opened a cabinet and pulled out two mugs that he seemed to wake from his thoughts. His head snapped up and he looked at Kai in surprise.

"_God! I didn't see you come in!_" he said. "_You scared me._" Kai arched a brow.

"_I made no efforts to hide_," he said. "_How do you want your coffee?_"

"_B-black,_" Tala said and nervously played with the hem of his sleeve.

The bluenette filled two cups with the hot liquid – silently thanking all heavens for his coffee machine – and placed one in front of the redhead. Tala looked suspiciously at the thick foam and then at Kai.

"_W-what's this?_" he asked.

"_Cappuccino,_" came the stoic reply. "_Try it._"

"_C-capp...?_"

"_Cappuccino. It's coffee._"

"_O-oh. Thanks._" He took a careful sip, and found it very tasty. And very hot. He burned his tongue slightly when he took a bigger sip, and made a loud whimper as he placed his hand over his mouth. Kai arched a brow and looked at his waving other hand, reading the gesture as 'Tala-burned-his-tongue-and-is-trying-not-to-cry-o r-start-cursing-and-really-needs-to-cool-it-down-o r-else-he-will-really-start-crying-or-cursing'. Apparently, some things never change. He sighed, got up and fetched some ice cubes in a glass. Taking one of them, he pressed it against the redhead's lips. Tala looked questioningly at him.

"_Put this in your mouth,_" Kai explained. "_It will ease the pain._" Tala warily did as he was told, and a few seconds later, he gave a relieved smile. The bluenette took notice of it but said nothing. He just continued to drink his own coffee in silence. After a few minutes, he noticed Tala looking very closely at his face. Kai once again arched a brow.

"_Yes?_" he asked. Tala blushed, and then pointed to his cheek.

"_Is that...?_" He trailed off, took a deep breath and tried again. "_That scar. Is that the one from... that day?_"

Kai ran a finger over the healed up gash in his cheek. Apart from the fact that he always painted the triangle covering it up first – he never really thought about the scar anymore. It had looked one hell of a lot worse when he was a kid. The cut had actually gone right through his cheek, and it had taken a long time for his face to grow enough not to disappear behind it. Now, it still looked like a bad ass scar, but it wasn't the first thing you noticed, and it actually kind of suited him.

"_Yes,_" he said simply. "_It is._"

"_I'm sorry,_" Tala half whispered.

"_Why?_"

"_I never realized you got hurt that bad._" Kai snorted.

"_You call this getting hurt?_" he said. "_This is nothing._"

"_How can you say that?_" Tala almost cried. "_How can you be so cold? That was a really bad wound! How can you just brush it off like it's nothing?_"

"_Because it __**is**__ nothing,_" Kai said coldly. "_If you think that being cut across the cheek with a razor sharp knife is painful – then you don't know what pain really is. Pain, Tala, is having the bones in your body broken one by one until you answer what your are asked. Pain, is electric shocks given as punishment for you not answering. Pain, is taking a bullet through your lung, your gut, your knee. Pain is having ropes digging into your skin so hard you can feel the blood stopping and your muscles screaming after laying tied up for hour after hour. That is pain, Tala. This,_" he pointed to the scar. "_Is nothing._"

"_Y-you're a monster!_" the redhead whimpered. "_You are not the Kai I cared about. You are... cold. You are evil!_" Kai got off his chair faster than Tala could see, and next thing he knew, a hand made contact with his cheek – sending him tumbling off the chair.

"_I am a result of my conditions and circumstances. And you will do well to remember that._" With that, he exited the kitchen, giving Tala a good look at the stunning tattoo covering his back. Even the bird seemed angry. He got back on his chair, rubbing his cheek and not really knowing what to do with himself. Kai had something of a split personality. The night before, he had been very civilized and ok to be around. Not close in any way, but still...human. Today, he was made of ice. Or, well, that wasn't true either. He had been civilized until Tala had asked about the scar. It was only then he had turned cold.

Xxx xXx xxX

Rei had only just woken up when Kai came into the bedroom again, and disappeared into his huge wardrobe. The neko could see his tense posture and sighed. So much for that hour and a half of relaxing him. He got on his feet and tipped over to the bluenette, who was currently deciding between a black and a marine blue shirt – a frown making itself known on his handsome features. Rei snaked his arms around the trimmed waist and kissed his shoulder.

"So?" he said quietly. "What did he do?" Kai gave a snarling kind of sigh.

"I do not appreciate being called evil first thing in the morning. You make sure that man understands that."

"Sure thing," Rei said. "Might I inquire as to why he called you evil?"

"This." Kai pointed to the scar. Rei traced the line, causing Kai to shudder.

"He knows how you got it, ne?"

"Yes." The bluenette sighed and decided on the black shirt before speaking again. "He apologized for not realizing I got hurt as bad as I did. And I told him simply the truth. That this is nothing compared to the kind of pain I have felt since. I hardly even felt this when it happened – I was too angry."

"Ok, love. I'll talk to him later." He enjoyed the sight of Kai's muscular chest disappearing underneath the expensive shirt and kissed his cheek. "You going down to the office now?"

"Hn. I'm just going to put on the paint first. The meeting starts in one hour. Dress formal today, and make sure he does too." With that, he grabbed a dark red tie and exited the wardrobe.

Xxx xXx xxX

Tala had retreated back to his bedroom shortly after the incident, and now he was sitting on his bed, twisting his hands and not really knowing what to do. Kai scared him. It was like he had to be on his tiptoes all the time in order not to be subject to that cold anger of his. Maybe the scar was still a touchy subject to Kai. It was a big scar – maybe he had gotten teased for it when he grew up and didn't like it being mentioned? Tala wanted to apologize, but maybe it would be better to keep his mouth shut. His last apology had resulted in being smacked across the face and left alone in the huge kitchen when he really needed someone to keep him company. He felt like his mere presence irritated the bluenette, and he couldn't help but wonder why Kai had brought him there in the first place, if he was nothing but a bother. Steps in the hallway brought him out of his thoughts, and he shrank a bit – thinking it might be Kai coming to look for him. But it was Rei's head that popped in, followed by the rest of him. He had on a strict black suit, the long hair in a flawless braid down his back – and the same cheery smile on his face as always.

"There you are!" he said and put a hand on Tala's shoulder. "You ok?"

"Y-yeah," Tala stuttered, not at all believable. "Just a bit, you know, tired."

"Uh-huh. I heard you had a little run in with one of Kai's touchy spots." Tala's eyes widened and he stared at the neko. Rei smiled and stroked his cheek. "It's ok. We've all done it. I just managed to clear that obstacle when we were still kids. Bryan wasn't so lucky. He spoke in falsetto for a week, but since then they've been cool."

"I-I didn't know it was a wrong subject..." the redhead said and stared at the floor. "I just... have a habit of saying whatever's on my mind. Guess it didn't work out too well this time..."

"It's ok," Rei said again. "Kai is usually all for speaking your mind. But he hasn't allowed a new person close to him in a very long time – and so he's trying to make sure his integrity is kept intact. People have been on him about that scar since he came here, and he is tired of being pitied because of it. When we were kids, people would always go all mushy and 'oh no, poor little child to have suffered something like that! It will never fade, that scar. What ever could have caused it?' Kai despises pity. And you might wanna remember not to call him evil. Because he isn't. I've seen evil in my days, and he's not it. He can be a down right bastard and even a monster at times – but never without cause, and never without limits. He'll be over it by tonight, don't worry."

Tala nodded, actually feeling a little better about himself now that he knew he wasn't the only one to slip up a bit. Then the image of the night before crossed his mind and he bit his lip before looking at the neko again.

"Uhm, Rei," he said hesitantly. "Are you... are you and Kai a couple?" Rei's perfect eyebrows shot up and he tilted his head.

"Why you ask?"

"I... I was getting up to drink a glass of water last night...and..."

"And you saw us?"

"Y-yeah. I didn't mean to disturb your privacy, but I just happened to see..." Rei started smiling widely and the he hugged Tala, before smiling more.

"No, honey," he said. "We're not a couple. We're just really good friends. I'm Kai's own personal cuddly toy."

"Huh?"

"I take care of him. If he needs to sleep next to someone because he's not feeling well or something, I'm the one who shares his bed. If he's got tension needing to be let out, I'm the one who helps him let it out. I am his personal assistant, remember? And even big bad Kai needs someone close every now and then. We've had this kind of relationship since we were kids. But I'm not in love with him, nor is he with me. I sleep with whoever I want, and so does he. But when he needs me, he's my first priority, and the same way around." The smile became happy and rather naughty. "And Katsurou Hiwatari is a God in the sack! As in, he can give you orgasms like no one else I've ever met!"

"Oh..." Tala decided not to comment on Kai's talents in bed, and ignored the strange hot wave running through his body. "So... so you won't be angry with me for being here? I mean... I guess you know why Kai b-bought me."

"Aww, love!" Rei smiled softly and kissed his forehead. "I like you! How could I possibly be angry with someone as adorable as you? And besides, Kai likes you – and that's good enough reason to me to be happy. I think he's missed you a lot, you know."

"R-really?"

"Really." Rei hopped off the bed and dragged Tala to his feet as well. "Now up up up we go! We got to get you properly dressed for the meeting!" He paused and looked thoughtful for a moment, lips forming into a pout. "We did get you a suit or two yesterday, right?" Tala stared at him as two things dawned on him.

"Uhm, Rei... Am I supposed to be at the meeting too?" He failed miserably at holding back the panic in his voice. "I don't speak that good English..."

"Oh, hush! Don't worry, love. All you have to do is stay behind me and keep quiet. I'll take care of the rest. You'll be in the surveillance room with me after we greet them. Now, how about suits?"

"Uhm... you bought...five of them."

"Great!" Rei cheered, and dragged him over to the closet to begin the 'make Tala look like a bad ass mobster'-operation.

Xxx xXx xxX

Tala had not realized how big the house was until they made their way down to the entrance floor of the office and 'public' areas of the building. The elevator ride was one thing – they had told him Kai lived fifteen stories up, after all, so he kinda expected it – but the hallways seemed endless. He was dead certain he would never find his way out of there on his own even if his life depended on it. People turned their heads to look when Rei led him towards the lobby, and their expressions were those of appreciation. Hiwatari-sama had apparently gotten hold of another demon as his assistant, and this one – although looking a bit insecure at the moment – looked like he could work well with their leader and both Spencer and Bryan later on. He fit the image. And the women, of course, looked at him with saliva building up. The black suit looked like it was custom sewn for him, and it accentuated his trim waist and well shaped shoulders. Rei had totted up his hair a bit, resulting in perfect devil horns instead of devil horns with horns of their own. Quite frankly, Tala looked smoking hot. Rei stopped right in the middle of the huge lobby, Tala remaining a step him as he had been instructed. A group five men came in through the large doors with confident steps and condescending glances at the people around them. The man in the middle, who Tala figured had to be Mr. O'Connor, was tall and blonde – with the most sleazily self confident smile he had ever seen. And he looked at Rei like he was trash, but covered it up to be a warm greeting as they came closer. Then the redhead noticed that the huge double doors shut with a click that sounded very final – and unbeknownst to the Americans, metal bars shot up from the floor to seal the exit completely, same thing with the windows. Rei bowed his head ever so slightly and extended his hand to greet the other man.

"Welcome to Tokyo, Mr. O'Connor," he said, politely, but not warmly. "I'm Rei Kon, Mr. Hiwatari's personal assistant. I take it the flight wasn't too arduous?"

"Michael O'Connor, nice to meet you, Mr. Kon. So, where is Mr. Hiwatari?" Rei turned and began to walk inside the maze that was the HQ.

"Please follow me," he said. "Security first. I trust you understand that it is a necessity?"

"You Japs sure are a bunch of jiddery guys, aren't you?" Rei didn't even smile when he replied.

"A man is nothing short of a fool if he allows potentially hostile men into his house without thoroughly searching them first. And Mr. Hiwatari is no fool. Underestimating him will lead you nowhere but to your grave."

"Are you threatening me, Mr. Kon?"

"Not at all."

Tala was impressed by how the neko handled these men. Their mere presence irritated him, and they hadn't even looked at him yet! They went down a corridor and into a room where four men – one of them being Bryan – was waiting for them. The lilac-haired man nodded to them and said;

"Place all your weapons on the table." It wasn't a request, it was an order, and the other men hurried to follow it. Tala started to understand what Rei had meant when he said that no one dared mess with them if Bryan was in the same room. It was something about the man that just made people want (desperately) to stay on his good side.

"Turn around and place your hands against the wall." They did as ordered, and Bryan signed for his men to frisk them while he 'checked' their weapons. Tala saw how he calmly switched the clips in the gun to ones he had kept in a box under the table. The only gun he didn't touch was the one belonging to Mr. O'Connor. When they were done, Bryan handed back their guns and nodded to Rei.

"Please, follow me," the neko said and exited the room. Tala fell in next to Bryan who took the rear – thus making the Americans very uncomfortable. After walking down a hall and turning left, they arrived at a set of elevators. Once they arrived at the third floor, Rei quickly guided them to a room not far down the hall and instructed them to wait there and he would retrieve Mr. Hiwatari. Without waiting for a response, he shut the door behind them and looked at Bryan.

"Ok, Bry," he said. "Go get Kai. I'll monitor them." The larger man nodded and walked back up the hall. Rei took Tala's arm and went into the next room. The redhead was amazed to find that half a wall consisted of a window into the next room – and that the Americans didn't even seem aware of its existence.

'Seriously,' they heard Mr. O'Connor say to his men. 'The hell's up with these Japs? They just frisked us and then dumped us in this place. Aren't they supposed to be all ass kissingly polite and stuff? Hiwatari's better explain himself when he comes in! I'll show that little yellow bastard to respect us!'

Rei chuckled, and Tala looked questioningly at him.

"Don't they know we're here?" he asked.

"Nope," Rei said. "This is a one way window. We can see and hear them – but they can neither see nor hear us. This is the surveillance room. This is where we keep watch on the meetings so things don't get out of hand."

"Oh."

The door behind them opened, and Kai walked in, along with Bryan and Spencer. The dual bluenette stood next to Rei for a moment – just watching the group sitting in the other room.

"Alright, Rei," he said calmly. "Earpiece in. I want to know if you punch the lock down code – ok?"

"Got it," the neko calmly replied, and inserted a small object into his ear, and the rest did the same. Tala was amazed. Those small plastic thingies were going to help them stay in contact? He had only seen that older kind with a small microphone going to the mouth – never ones where you couldn't even see that the damned thing was there.

"All set?" Bryan asked. Kai nodded, and he looked at Rei, who nodded as well. "Alright. Let's go then." The four men left the room, and seconds later, they entered the conference room. The five Americans got on their feet, and Mr. O'Connor hurried to offer his hand. Kai took it in a firm grip – causing the blonde to wince – before signing for them to sit down again. Bryan and Spencer sat down on each side of Kai, and Ian took place next to the giant blonde on Kai's left side. The other men threw nervous glances at them. It was obvious that neither of them were native Japanese – and the appearance of the three bodyguards was... _intimidating_, to say the least. Bryan, Spencer and Ian threw condescending glances back at them. Neither of them feeling any need to be polite. It wasn't part of their job description, now was it?

"So," Kai said calmly, where he sat causally leaned back in his chair, one elbow on the armrest, and resting his chin against his knuckle. "Welcome to the Hiwatari Tower, Mr. O'Connor. I hope you enjoyed the trip here. The airport can be a real hassle at this time of year – I hope it didn't cause you any inconvenience."

"Not at all, Mr. Hiwatari," Mr. O'Connor smiled. "We rather enjoyed ourselves. Flying VIP here was quite relaxing and pleasurable."

"I'm glad." Kai's tone was completely neutral. "Now, shall we get to business? You want something from me, and I am ever curious. What can I help you with?"

"I must say, Mr. Hiwatari, that you are unusually straight forward for a Japanese. I had expected some more ceremonies. But very well. You deal in hardware, amongst others. I am looking to establish here – seeing that I have plenty of reliable manufacturers, but not enough clients. Moving further in the States would be too risky. I am already stretching the lines as it is."

"I don't see why you feel the need to involve my family. The market is big. Go and sell your merchandise. No one's stopping you."

"If I go on the market without one of the Ninkyō dantai backing me up, I will only make small change. It will hardly even be worth the costs of importing the merchandise here!" Mr. O'Connor objected. "But my research showed that your family is not only one of the number one fire-arms dealers, but also the highest ranking family in the Tokyo area."

"Is that so?"

"With your support, we could reach a whole new market! And of course, you would be able to expand your business in the States as our partners as well. It's a win win situation."

"Hn."

"We will of course give you twenty percent on all earnings here in Japan – and that's not a bad offer. We make a profit of about thirty to forty million dollars a year on weapons alone back at home. I reckon we can cash in about the same here with properly established contacts. Twenty percent of thirty millions is a lot of money."

"It's small change."

"Excuse me?" The blonde American looked shocked. "Six millions is a fair earning for helping us out and not having to do shit yourself, don't you think?"

"No. I don't. Six millions a year is an insult. You make more profit than that, and we both know it. And the costs for me are high if I am going to offer you any kind of support. The council is not fond of your people, and it will take some bribing to get them to look the other way when you do business on their turf. Not to mention that it will cost me money to introduce you to my clients. They are very sceptical bunch – not people friendly. I will have to step in with my own money to vouch for the quality of your merchandise. I am thereby taking a huge risk. If you fail to live up to the standard I promise my clients, I am indebted to them for the expenses they had to pay you. And then, of course, my honour and reputation will suffer greatly if you fail me. Six millions a year was my allowance when I was younger. Do you really intend to hand me such small change for all the services I can provide? Are you truly that much of an imbecile?"

"What the hell? Now you listen to me, you rude chink!" Mr. O'Connor flew to his feet and pointed an accusing finger at the other man. "I'm offering you one hell of a deal here, and you just sit there acting all high and mighty! _That's_ insulting!"

"Hardly. It is what we call truth. I am putting my money and reputation at risk. Americans have a bad reputation in my line of work, and thus it is hard to establish connections. And my family has always been one of the most respected families – and thus it is important for me not to soil that respect. My ancestors would turn in their graves."

"The hell's with you Japs? You're all so fucking stuck in respect this, reputation that. Honour and blah blah blah. I am offering you a steady income of six millions a year – as a start. If the market is good, I will probably look to invest in other businesses as well – and then you will have twenty percent of all earnings there too. And you just sit there, insulting me!" O'Connor looked like he would have a seizure, and Kai remained motionless, apart from his left eyebrow that had arched slightly.

"I have uttered no insults, Mr. O'Connor," he said. "Now sit down. Your behaviour is annoying me." The blonde sat down, still fuming. Kai sighed. "This meeting is going nowhere. I am not interested in your deal, Michael O'Connor. I have all connections and all incomes I need – both here and over seas."

"Well, that can certainly change, ." O'Connor's tone was suddenly very calculating. "America is a long way from Tokyo. Are you sure you can say that?"

"I am quite sure."

"This might be a good time then, to inform you that the E-factory you run in LA is currently wrapped in so much explosives it's gonna look like an a-bomb when it goes off. Would you like that? I bet your employees would. Or, wait. They can't see it – cause they're on the inside of it!"

"Is that supposed to frighten me?" Kai questioned with a sweet smile. "The people working there are all Americans. And besides, it's just a cover. The real factory is somewhere else entirely." He shrugged. "Blow it up if you wish. In all honesty, I couldn't care less."

"Really? Somehow I don't think that's true. Well, just watch me!" He brought out his cell phone and dialled a number. However, the line was dead.

"The reception is pretty bad inside this room. Our guests usually have other things on their mind but calling their mummies while in here." He looked at Ian, who nodded and left the room. "But I am losing my patience with you either way, Mr. O'Connor. I can only stand so much American arrogance at a time. Now, let's talk about what you really want with me." The American was almost boiling over and once again the accusing finger was directed at Kai – however this time it was squeezing a trigger.

In the surveillance room, Tala went pale as a ghost. Kai didn't even blink.

Then, before anyone could react, Kai had snatched the gun from him and pinned his hand to the table with a knife. This caused the other foreigners to pull their guns as well – followed by Bryan and Spencer.

"Tsk tsk tsk." Kai sighed and shook his head. "Now look at this." He adjusted the knife, making the blonde man cry out and big tears to run down his face. "I told you 'no'. Because I know what it is you really want with me and my money. I bet you jerk off to the thought of being in my stead, don't you – you spoiled brat?"

"I- I don't...know what you're... talking about!"

"Really? I had a nice little chat with one of your employees earlier this morning, and he begged to differ." O'Connor went pale, and Kai gave a hint of a smile – a cold, sadistic smile. "Apparently, Kyle is a real blabbermouth once you get him started."

"What did you do to my brother?" O'Connor's voice reached a panicked pitch. The door opened again, allowing Ian and two other men entry. They were dragging a third person with them, dumping him on the floor, before exiting the room again. Kai lifted him up by the back of his shirt so that O'Connor could see his face. Kyle O'Connor couldn't be more than twenty, with the same blonde hair as his brother and a pair of big cornflower blue eyes. Most of his skin and clothes were covered in blood, and the fingers on his right hand – which he was holding close to his chest – were twisted in very odd angles. With quick movements, Ian had the younger brother's hand pinned to the table as well – right next to the older brother's. Their faces weren't more than inches apart, thus giving O'Connor a good view of his injuries. And the gun being placed against his temple.

"Now I would advise you to tell your men to lower their weapons," Kai said. "And I will tell you what we'll do with this mess."

"Lo-lower your weapons!" the blonde ordered, and his men hurried to follow.

"Good. It annoys me to have guns pointed at me. So, this is what we're going to do. You re going to take your filthy ass and leave Japan by sundown today – I don't care how – or I will send my hunting dogs out for some fun. While I am impressed by your courage for daring to come to my home and believe you can threaten me, I do not appreciate it. You and your kind are the worst kind of arrogant brats I know – and frankly, the thought of doing any business with you repulses me. The reason my family is so highly respected and thought of, is the fact that we are the most non-compromising family in all of the Tokyo area. Threats won't work with us. I believe firmly in cause and consequences. I don't feel the need to threaten anyone. If you know as much as you say you do about me, then you should know that I always do what I say I'll do." He stroked the hair of the younger American, slow soothing strokes. "You were a fool, Michael O'Connor, for believing you could outmanoeuvre me and steal what's mine. You were also a fool for thinking I wouldn't understand your aim. You are not the first greedy American brat to come here and think he can take my place with a flick of his wrist." The blonde American stared at his right hand, which was now rubbing comforting circles over his little brother's shoulders and arm – in a way that was almost too intimate. "Leave Japan, and never come back. Just to make sure you do as I say – I will keep your pretty little brother here until I can confirm that you are indeed back on American soil. Don't worry, I will take good care of him."

Tala was scared out of his mind of the completely emotionless voice the bluenette used and of the cold, demonic smile on his thin lips. He looked over at Rei, whom, to his huge dismay, looked rather satisfied with the turn of events. A cruel little smirk played at his lips, and Tala hurried to look away – not sure whether to be scared and disgusted, or just plain and simply terrified.

In the conference room, Kai was still smirking.

"You have just been banned from setting foot in Tokyo ever again. You and your kind are like roaches. Allow one in, and you will be overrun within a month. I hate roaches." He nodded to Spencer, who yanked the knife out of the man's hand and let his men take him. "Go. Now."

He removed the gun from the younger O'Connor's temple and took a step back as they exited the room – but just when the tall blonde was about to step through the door, he used his good hand to pull a gun from a holster on his back and fired straight at Kai's chest. The bluenette stumbled backwards from the force of the hit. A new shot echoed through the corridor, and then Michael O'Connor was dead and the hall was swarming with people collecting (beating) the others.

"Fuck!" Rei cried next to Tala, and hurried over to the other room, where Kai was leaning against the wall, hand placed over his side and skin colour even paler than usual. Bryan and Spencer formed a wall in front of them, with their guns drawn at the now rather dazed Americans. "Ian!" he called.

"Yeah."

"Those fuckers of his waiting outside. Make an example out of them."

"I'm on it." He left the room, giving a sharp order in Japanese through the walkie. Tala just stared as Rei carefully manoeuvred the blue-haired man down to the floor, so he could open his shirt and have a better look at the wound. The bullet had gone in through the side of his chest, and he was bleeding heavily. Tala knelt next to Kai on his other side, wicked pale form the sight of the blood on his old friend and the horrible state the Americans were in. Rei carefully felt for an exit wound, and a deep hiss and nasty curse from Kai told him he'd found it – and the neko let out a relieved breath.

"The bullet went right through, Kai," he said, and the bluenette nodded. "I need you to keep pressure on this wound and I'll take the other. We'll get you to the medical wing as soon as those fuckers are out of the way."

"I'm fine," Kai said and attempted to get up. Rei held him down. "Rei. Let me go. I'm fine. It's a scratch."

"No, you're not fine, Kai," the neko snarled. "You're losing a lot of blood, ok?"

"Just get me up to the apartment, and Bry can fix it. I aint going to the doc today. Not for something as petty as this."

"You stubborn, pigheaded damned Russian!"

"I'm fine... it's just...a scratch..." his eyes closed and his body went limp.

"Kai?" Rei clapped his cheek. "Kai! Fuck!" He turned to Spencer. "Spence, he passed out! We need to get to the doc – now!" The giant man picked him up like he weighed nothing and set off down the hall – Bryan, Rei and Tala following as close behind as they could.

Xxx xXx xxX

It didn't take long before Kai woke up; the second the doctor touched his skin with the needle, his hand shot out and grabbed the man's hand, and the he opened his eyes to glare at him – still ready to fight despite his state. The doctor was obviously used to his patient's quirks, and just smiled and stood still.

"Katsurou-sama," he said. "I'm going to close up the wounds now. Please bear with me."

"Hn." Kai let go of his hand and took a deep breath as the man began to stitch the wound together. He endured the procedure without a sound, just staring at the ceiling and breathing slowly. Though, one could feel it in the air around him that he was _not_ happy with the situation. At _all_. As soon as the wounds were closed up and bandaged, Kai stood up, swaying slightly and hurrying to place a hand on the table to support himself.

"Bryan, Spencer," he said. His voice was low and tired. The two men immediately stood in front of him – and both his fists shot out and punched them square in the chin, causing them both to stumble backwards and blink. "You let the bastard shoot me. You let the freaking bastard _shoot_ me!" He let out a growl, a very menacing sound. "I don't know about you, but I happen to think that being shot hurts. Might I ask why you- why you thought-" His skin colour faded once more and his knees buckled. Bryan caught him and helped him sit back on the table. "I'm fine now. Just get me back up so I can take a fucking nap in my own bed and not on this smelly fucking slab."

"Katsurou-sama," the doctor said.

"No. I'm going up to my place, and that's that. Stop treating me like some woman!" He once again got on his feet, and shooed off all four sets of hands offering him support – walking surprisingly steadily towards the exit of the hospital wing. Rei was right behind him, chattering at him angrily for being a stubborn git, and Bryan and Spencer nodded to the doctor before grabbing Tala by his shoulders and following them.

By the end of the elevator ride, Tala was huddling in the corner behind Spencer, an unconscious Rei was being held by Bryan – and Kai was rubbing his temples with a very annoyed frown. The blue-haired man made his way into his bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him. Bryan and Spencer exchanged a look, before placing Rei on one of the couches and sitting down next to him – Spencer patting the seat next to him to make Tala sit down as well. The redhead did so, warily.

"_Spence_," Bryan said. "_You're too damn slow!_"

"_Oi, what did I do?_"

"_You missed the fact that the stupid blonde fucker pulled a gun at our boss and fucking shot him with it!_"

"_Oi! Don't give me all the blame! You were there too!_"

"_You were the one who was supposed to be the fucking wall today! We drew shitting straws – remember? Or is your brain so completely fucked up by all the sexual fucking frustration you're building up in there that you can't remember that the shitting deal was that I watch the little brat and you play the fucking wall? Huh? Seriously, Spence. You need a really shitting good fuck. Or two. Or ten. I know this chick, who has a pus-_"

"_Bryan!_" Spencer whined. "_I am not sexually frustrated, so would you please stop talking about it? I am sorry I didn't react fast enough, but why didn't you do something if you saw it happen? You were the back up. Ian is too short._"

"_What-fucking-ever!_" the lilac-haired man snorted. Then he was quiet for a while. "_Shit. Kai's gonna be all cranky and bitchy forever now. Great._" He looked at Tala. "_Ok, Red. You're gonna have to be on your best behaviour now. Kai always gets really nasty when he's been injured, and it aint nice to deal with him. So just try not to make him angry in any way – or it'll be really painful. Trust me._"

"_Oh... ok._"

"_Maybe you can go see how he's doing?_" Spencer said, and Tala went pale.

"_M-me? Why?_"

"_Because Rei is passed out, and he's pissed at both me and Bry at the moment. You're the only one here who's not on his bad side right now_."

Bryan saw the redhead's hesitation, and gave a lopsided grin.

"_Don't worry, bro. We'll save your ass if he tries something._" Tala gulped and nodded, before getting up and moving towards the lair of the Devil. He knocked on the door, but got no response. After knocking again and still nothing – he decided to take a risk. Seeing Kai lose all that blood, and then see how pale and wobbly he was on the way up here had actually made him really worried. He opened the door as quietly and careful as he could and stepped inside. Kai was laying on his bed, propped up against the pillows and lazily watching tv. He threw a glance at the redhead as he approached, but then went back to the screen. He had changed out of his suit, and was now wearing a pair of sweatpants and a navy coloured tank top. Tala cautiously walked closer to the bed, and then stopped indecisively by the edge of it, biting his lip and not really knowing what to do now.

"_Uhm...feeling better?_" he asked.

"_I'm fine_," came the stoic reply. "_Are you going to sit down or just stand there and stare?_"

Tala sat down and focused on the tv, which was showing some strange black-and-white-but-still-with-some-colour movie. They were quiet for a while, and Tala began to relax somewhat. He was still scared of the other man, but at least right now he didn't seem hostile – more in the line of neutral. That seemed to be his default state nowadays. The redhead couldn't help but envy his immense self control. Even when shot in the chest, he didn't do what Tala surely would have done, which was panic and then start crying and cursing at everyone around him. No matter what was thrown at him, he just took it and dealt with it. He wondered if Kai ever got angry. As in really really furiously angry, and how he was like when that happened. No. He wasn't too sure he wanted to even try and picture it. There was fire beneath that mask – that much was clear – and the redhead didn't want to get burned.

"_Are Bry and Spence bickering out there?_" Kai broke the silence.

"_Yeah. Uhm, does Bryan ever think about anything but sex?_"

"_Yes_," Kai answered calmly. "_Bryan's one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. He does think about sex a lot. But you must never think that's all that goes on in his head. He acts that way to make people underestimate him, to dismiss him as some horny gun-crazy fuckhead. But he's the kind of person who's always watching things around him. And he can read people like picture books. He tends to talk about it a lot more when he's around Spencer. It's one of Bry's favourite past times to bug the hell out of him about his prudish attitude. Spencer's family was very conservative and never ever addressed any subject beneath the neck – so he's still not at all comfortable with it. Bry, on the other hand, had a true manwhore as a father – so to him it's a natural subject._"

"_Had?_"

"_He died of cancer when Bryan was seventeen. Really nice guy. Shame he had to go so early._"

"_Oh. I'm sorry to hear that_." He was quiet again for a moment. "_Kai..._"

"_Hn?_"

"_Where's all the art?_"

"_What do you mean?_"

"_You used to love art so much. I remember so well what you were like when we sneaked into the arts museum. But you have no art on your walls now?_" Something of a smile flickered across the bluenette's lips.

"_Ah, so that's what you mean. I have art in this house worth millions – but I prefer to keep it to myself. There is a room in this apartment where I keep it all. But don't brush off the things I do have on display. Those things are worth millions on their own. I don't want art to be something you take just a glance at when you enter someone's home and then forget it. I don't want it to be part of the décor._"

"_Oh. That makes sense._"

"_Rei's gonna start teaching you to read and write tomorrow._"

"_Ok...Wait. What?_"

Kai sighed and rubbed his eyes, before finally looking at the other man.

"_You can't read or write. So, Rei will help you with the English and Japanese. I'll teach the Cyrillic, but that'll have to wait until this shit is healed back up. I don't feel like being nice and pedagogic at the moment._"

"_Why?_" Tala couldn't hold back the hint of bitterness in his voice, suddenly remembering the conditions he was there under. "_I'm just your toy, aren't I? Why do I need to know shit? Aint my job to be your bed-mate and nothing else?_"

"_I do expect you to be able to pull your weight around here. I don't time have to explain everything here to you, so you need to be able to read things and understand them. Maybe if you do well, I'll let you train under Bry and join the team._"

"_But you still own me._"

"_I still own you._"

"_I hate you._" Tala couldn't hold back a small sob at how powerless he felt. He couldn't escape from here. He had seen first hand just what this man was capable of – and he knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill Tala if he tried anything funny. Kai remained quiet, and after a while, Tala glanced over at him – only to find that he had fallen asleep. His face looked completely different now than when he was awake. His features were peaceful, soft. He looked so much like the little midget of a kid he had been twenty years ago – only with a shitload more of muscles and ink. Not sure what to do now, Tala remained still for a moment, just looking at the stranger that used to be his best friend. Upon seeing a small shiver run through the beautiful body, he got on his feet, and grabbed a blanket from the small sofa by the foot of the bed. As carefully as he could, he placed it over the sleeping man, and made to leave. But one word ruined that plan.

"_Stay._" However tired it was, it was an order. He made his way back to the bed and lay down next to him. The bed was really comfortable – he hadn't had time to notice before, seeing he had been so upset – and he felt his own eyelids grow heavy. A last glance at his owner told him Kai was asleep again – one of his pale hands resting on Tala's shoulder.

An hour later, a rather groggy Rei came wobbling in and snuggling up next to Kai – burying his nose in the bluenette's hair and holding on to his waist. Tala didn't even wake up. Kai merely adjusted himself to give the neko more room, and to move his arm from under his cheek to around the redhead's chest before he once again was asleep. On the couch in the living room, Bryan and Spencer were having a glaring contest, trying to decide who's fault the day's events were.

**Xxx xXx xxX**

Well... I don't really know what to say... I shot Kai! I am a horrible person! Horrible horrible person! But he gets to cuddle with both Rei and Tala later... that's gotta be good, right?

…

Right?

Am I the only one who happens to love the interaction between Bryan and Spencer? God, it cracks me up to write their conversations! XD

Haha, and Kai doesn't like Americans. Guess that meeting was doomed before it started^^

Reviews?


	4. The Wolf Bite

**Disclaimer: **Owns Beyblade he does not.

**Warnings: **for basic warnings, see chapter one, please. Additional warnings for this chapter: icky things, violence, mentions of murder and corpses, hurting phoenixes, mentions of drugs and poisonings.

**Xxx xXx xxX**

Tala was the first of the three to wake up. It was light outside again, and he realized they had slept the whole night like this. Looking to his side, he saw Kai's sleeping face on the pillow right next to him, and a slender honey coloured arm resting around his waist. Sitting up as quietly as he could, he saw Rei sleeping behind his boss' back, nuzzling his hair and looking very content. He also realized that both he and Rei were still in their suits, and that the bluenette's wounds had bled slightly through the bandages. He could see dark stains on the side of his chest. But he looked so calm now. So serene. So... soft and _human_. And still he knew what this man had done just the day before. What deliberate cruelty he was capable of. How did this happen to him? What kind of an upbringing did he have that would make that happy innocent boy into such a monster?

But he refused to ponder on it now. It was useless, really. All it did was make him sad, and make Kai angry with him. He wanted to ask him so many things, he wanted to find out if this was a mask, and in that case, who the person hiding behind it really was. Or if this was the real him, how could he live like this? How could he live this lonely existence, so full of danger, violence, fear and paranoia? But he simply didn't dare to. At least not so soon. And besides, Kai himself had made no efforts to find out what had happened to the redhead since they were separated all those years ago.

Rei moved a bit, and then two golden orbs cracked open to squint around the room, and eventually settle on the redhead. He then smiled and carefully sat up too, making sure not to disturb Kai, and yawned.

"Morning, Tala," he said softly. "Get a good night's sleep?" Tala nodded shyly.

"I just...wasn't really prepared for sleeping next to him a whole night like this. I was just going to take a nap, and then leave him alone. Do you think he will be angry with me now?"

Rei smiled warmly and affectionate, running his fingers through the dual blue hair of the sleeping figure.

"See, he's not so bad to sleep next to," he said. "I always feel so safe next to him, and he's so warm, don't you think?"

"Yeah... I guess..."

"Sweetie, don't worry. He won't be angry with you. Did he ask you to stay?"

"Yeah."

"Then there you go. If he says stay, he means the whole night. Thank you for doing it. It means a lot more than you think to be allowed to be near him when he sleeps. If he doesn't feel comfortable with you, he won't sleep this heavily. Actually, he won't sleep at all."

"So... he trusts me?"

"I think he's learning to. Kai has so many layers to him, that it takes some time to peel them all off so you can see the real him. The good person he is under this harshness."

"You sound so... what's the word... loving when you speak of him. I'm sorry, but I can't understand it."

"You will in time, Red. I promise you that you will."

Tala nodded slowly, and then flinched slightly when Kai moved a bit and two red orbs opened to look at him, and then over his shoulder at Rei. He sat up carefully and looked at them once again.

"What time is it?" he asked. Rei checked the alarm clock on his side of the bed.

"9:48."

Kai grunted.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"Honey," Rei smiled. "Both me and Tala only just woke up ourselves. And besides, you were shot yesterday, remember? Your body needs rest after something like that."

"Hn." He carefully touched his side and drew a sharp breath when he felt the wound under his fingers. "Rei, go get some new bandages." The neko nodded and got out of bed. Tala remained where he was – nervous like always around the blue-haired man. Kai looked at him, and Tala was surprised to see how alert his gaze were despite him just having woken up after sleeping for almost a day.

"_You ok?_" Kai asked him. Tala bit his lip, trying to think of an answer that wouldn't make him angry.

"_Yeah... I- I'm doing fine._" Kai looked very closely at him.

"_No. You don't look fine._" He reached out a hand and touched Tala's cheek. The redhead failed to keep himself from flinching slightly at the contact. Kai didn't seem to care, though. Maybe he was used to that reaction. "_That was your first time seeing someone get killed, wasn't it?_"

Tala started shaking, and nodded.

"_Y-yeah. I've never... not even back home..._" He felt the waterworks building up and bit his lip hard in an attempt to stop it. Kai stroked his cheek in a surprisingly gentle and soothing manner.

"_I'm sorry I took away that innocence from you._"

"_What... what do you mean? I'm not innocent. I'm an adult. I've lived on the streets my whole life._" Kai just looked at him, and then stood up, albeit rather unsteadily.

"_In comparison to all of us living in this house, Tala, you were innocent. We deal with death everyday. I've lost count on how many people I have seen losing their lives. You hadn't. You were innocent._"

"_...o-oh_."

"_Go take a shower and get changed. Rei will start the teaching after breakfast._"

"_W-what are you gonna do?_"

"_I'm gonna dispose of some leftovers from yesterday's incident._"

Tala's eyes widened.

"_Y-you mean like...burying the bodies?_"

Kai sighed.

"_I'm not gonna bury any bodies. I have people to do that for me. No, I'm gonna take care of getting rid of all the information on their trip here. I don't want his idiotic brats of friends to come looking for them. It'll just irritate me and lead to me having to take care of them too._"

"_..o-oh_."

"_Now go get ready._"

"_O-ok._"

Tala hurried out of the bedroom to get clean. Kai watched his back disappear out into the apartment. Then Rei came back into the room with new bandages and a bright smile. Kai looked at him with an arched brow and then attempted to remove his tank top. It was harder than usual, and he found himself strangely dizzy.

"Aw, honey!" Rei protested and stopped his hands. "Don't move around like that. It'll just strain your wounds."

"I can handle it, Rei." He shook his head, trying to make the world stop spinning.

"No, just please let me do it for you."

Kai sighed, but surrendered to the neko's skilled and careful hands. It was really no point in arguing with Rei when he had gone into caring mode, and Kai really didn't have the energy for even attempting it at that moment. He didn't let it show, but he was in a great deal of pain and apart from the dizziness, his body felt heavy with tiredness – so it was actually kinda nice to have someone care for you. Rei managed to remove the hindering garment without causing too much pain. The removing of the bandage was another thing, though. The compresses had gotten stuck in the wound, and he had to gently pry them off – casting nervous and concerned glances at Kai while doing so. The blue-haired man frowned slightly and hissed at one point, but other than that he just endured it, and Rei was thankful for that. Kai could take a lot of pain before he would let it truly show, and he knew that when things had to get done, there was no point in bitching around and just prolong it. When the wound was revealed, Rei's frown turned worried. It didn't look good. The area was red and swollen, and it was starting to ooze.

"Kai," he said, still looking at the wound.

"Hn?"

"I'm gonna call Doc."

"Why?" Kai looked at the wound, and then snarled. "Fuck."

"We gotta call him and let him treat this before it gets infected."

"_More_ infected."

"I'll just go call him right away." He got up from where he had been kneeling to get a good look. "Just sit down and don't touch it!"

"I know how to treat a wound, Rei," Kai sighed.

"I know you do," Rei said and kissed him. "But please, just be careful."

With that, he exited the room to call the doctor. Kai getting ill from an infection was not what they needed right now. And if he got sick, he would get _very_ sick. That was one of Kai's eternal problems. He hardly ever got sick – but when he did, he did so with a vengeance.

In the kitchen, Rei ran in to Tala, whom had gotten lost on his way to the bathroom. The redhead noticed his worried look, and frowned.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked. Rei threw him a quick and not at all genuine smile of reassurance.

"No biggie! Kai's wound's just looking a little bad. Gonna call the doc so he can just have a quick look at it. Don't worry."

"Bad? You mean like an...infla... in- infection?"

"Don't worry, love," Rei said and stroked his cheek. "Kai's been through worse than this. It's just a minor inconvenience."

"Incon...veni..."

"Inconvenience. It means it's something that's just getting a bit in the way of things."

"O-oh."

"What's the matter, by the way? Weren't you supposed to treat yourself to a nice bath?"

"I... I kinda got lost." Rei smiled and hugged him.

"Down the hall from here, first room to the left from your room. It might not have a jacuzzi, but it's got one hell of a bathtub anyhow."

"Thanks," Tala said with relief that it was Rei who found him and not Kai. That would have been embarrassing beyond words. He headed off down the hall towards the elusive bathroom, body tired but mind going 100mph. He was feeling so small and lost – not at all like himself. Tala Ivanov was usually dominant, cocky, sarcastic, untameable, quirky and a real joker. Now, he felt like he had lost himself somewhere along the way. Was it the drug still being a bitch? It had to be. Normally he would be himself no matter what the world threw his way. He had never been this... ridiculously _wimpy_. Yeah, sure Kai and his friends scared the shit out of him, but he usually didn't let something like that get in the way. He just needed to get used to this change, and then they would see the real Tala – the one who didn't submit. Like _at all._ Satisfied with his decision, he managed to locate the bathroom after having gotten clean clothes out. Walking back to his room in a towel when Rei Kon was in the same apartment was really out of the question. He didn't want any more weird comments and 'ooooh's to come shooting his way.

It didn't take long for the water to heat up, and Tala positively melted under the stream and the soap smelled wonderful – relaxing his muscles and easing his mind. Rei had told him that he could shower and bathe for as long as he wanted. Hell, everyone else did it so why shouldn't he? Tala was very grateful for that now.

Yesterday's incident had left him feeling somehow... _soiled_, despite the fact that he hadn't even been in the same room as the people being shot. But just seeing it happen and then see all that blood and that ghostly pale face on the man who used to be a tiny midget of a boy who relied on him; it had soiled him. Kai had been right. Tala had been innocent before that moment. Before he realized what kind of damage a .357 calibre bullet from a Desert Eagle could do if it was fired at close range at a person's head. Seeing brain tissue and blood splattered on the floor and still running from the back of a dead man's head was something nothing in his life could ever have prepared him for.

And the look on Bryan's face when he fired... _Damn_. Completely cold, like he was just whacking a fly. And then the fear on the other Americans' faces when they realized in how big a danger they were. He realized he had no idea what had happened to them. They had made the run towards the medical wing before they had been fully dealt with. With a shudder, he guessed they were just as dead as their boss by now. He was especially wondering about the guy's little brother – what was his name – Kyle? Was he still alive? The young man had seemed so lost, so innocent in comparison to everyone else in that room. Was Kai cruel enough to kill him? Or was it perhaps more cruel to keep him alive with the knowledge what they had already done to his brother?

Tala pondered his situation for a while, and then came to the conclusion that he might not like what went on in the lives of the people he now lived with, but he had to grow some kind of thick hide and just think 'better them than me'. He would have to become one of these people if he was ever going to survive. If he remained soft and empathic, he would either break down or get killed. And probably really soon and really messy.

It went against everything he believed in, but necessity has no law – and he had to, in order to survive. He hadn't fought for his life everyday on the streets of Moscow to die so soon. He had too much he wanted to do, to see, to feel. Real love, for instance. He wanted to find a person who could make him complete. He wanted someone to share his heart and him to share his. And, of course, he wanted to experience real mind-blowing sex. Still being a virgin at twenty-seven was just not ok. Well, he had had sex, but that was with girls when he was in his mid-teens, and he had quickly realized that he didn't swing that way. But he had never been that intimate with a man in his whole life. The guys he had known back at home (no, in Moscow. This was his home now) had been super gorgeous, but loaded with STD's and apart from that rather filthy and smelly, just like him.

All the guys here looked really hot too, and he realized with no small amount of panic that the one he most often got that butterfly feeling in his stomach from, was Kai himself. The blue-haired man was pretty much everything Tala looked for in a guy. He was slender but muscular, had a gorgeous face, wonderfully messy hair, beautiful slender hands and a lopsided kind of smile. He also smelled really nice, he admitted after sleeping next to him for a total of 18 odd hours.

Of course, Rei was hot as well, and so was Bryan. But their leader was really in a league of his own. And that was just plain and simply dangerous. If he would fall for him, he would have even less of a chance to stand up for himself, and Kai walked all over the weak people. Besides, Kai didn't care about him, no matter what Rei wanted to make it seem like. He was way too cold for that. Hadn't he admitted straight out that he bought Tala with the purpose of using him as a toy? Sure, he was being rather nice and caring unless Tala pushed one of his many buttons, but still... He groaned in frustration. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure the blue-haired man out! He wanted to just put him into the evil monster grouping, but he had too many sides to him for that to work. Now Tala was in a lack of knowledge of what the hell to make of this turn of his life.

Xxx xXx xxX

"Seriously, dr Kitsune," Kai snapped at the man. "Weren't you the one who would never allow a wound to get infected?" He jerked away from the man's prying glove clad fingers. "I don't know how you got through med school, but you need to go back and re-take the wound care part."

"Now now," the doctor calmly replied. "Don't be that way, Katsurou-sama. I've been caring for you your whole life. You know as well as I do that I am quite capable of doing my job." He carefully cleaned the goo off and took a closer look. "I am glad that Rei-kun saw it immediately. Treating it will not be any trouble. Unless, of course, you don't take it easy and slowly for the duration of the healing. You know what happens when you go out and work like you usually do with an irritated wound. Crawling around in mud or getting in gunfights is out of the question. Am I making myself clear, Katsurou-sama?"

"Yeah, whatever," the bluenette muttered. "But I don't crawl around in mud everyday."

"You did when you were younger. I remember Takeshi-sama being almost hysterical at you every other day. Remember how many times you had to see me because you had gotten dirt in a wound – or, for that matter, just managed to open a new one."

"No one pursuits you through mud, doc. If you look like me, they sure as hell don't expect it, so it's an easy way to get your ass out of trouble."

"If you say so. Now, I will come by once a day and change the bandages. I will also get you some antibiotics to take. Please, try to do as I say and let me do my job. It will heal nicely as long as you don't irritate it."

"Hn."

The doctor nodded and left, satisfied with having gotten his charge to do as he was told. Though his father could be stubborn, Kai beat him bigtime. He had never in his life met a young person as pigheaded as him. Now, he knew Kai was very good at wound care himself, but he was also a very active person – always on the front line when his family got in trouble. He refused to become one of those cowardly oyabuns that just sat in the HQ behind an army of bodyguards and not knowing shit about the situation outside. A very commendable resolve, but at times also very inconvenient. Getting Kai to take it easy wile mending things such as broken bones or stab wounds tended to be _a lot_ easier said than actually _done_.

Kai sank back down on the bed and sighed. He was if possible even more tired now – and dr Kitsune's poking around in his wound had hurt more than he let on. Rei looked at him worriedly and came to sit next to him, slender hand stroking his thigh.

"Kai, honey," he said. "You ok? And don't lie to me if you're not!"

The bluenette sighed and lay down, running a palm over his face.

"I'm really tired," he admitted. "And the wound hurts like a fucking bitch. It's throbbing like hell." He snarled. "I fucking hate when this happens. Goddamned Americans! Even their fucking bullets are filthy."

Rei stroked his cheek and leaned in to place a tender kiss on his lips. Then he frowned.

"You're getting a fever. You should stay up here for a few days. I can handle the everyday business so you can get some rest."

"I can-"

Rei put his finger over his mouth.

"I know you can take care of yourself, but you also know I'm quite capable to run the business for a few days. All big decisions will still be yours to make – but I'll handle the rest. We've done it before, Katsurou-chan. Please, for once, just do as I ask. It worries me when you're sick like this."

Again, Kai sighed. As much as he hated (and refused) to admit it; when Rei used his full name in that tone, he just couldn't bitch with him. The neko was important to him, and he knew he had a point. Rei Kon had been raised to be his assistant. It had been that way all throughout their lives. He was as sharp a leader and businessman as Kai himself, and so he was more than capable of running the big family for a while. But still, Kai hated when he had to be still and rest. It made him feel weak. Though, for once, he was going to listen to his body. And his body screamed 'let me fucking rest, you son of a bitch!'.

"Hn. I'll try to stay here and chill. But I want you to run all big decisions by me."

Rei positively beamed. Getting Kai to admit he needed rest was a very rare event, and it stroked his pride to be the one who got him to do it.

"Thank you, love," he smiled softly. "Why don't you go out in the living room and watch tv or something. Then you don't have to be left out. I thought I'd sit down in the reading corner with Red and start teaching him English. I think I'll wait with the Japanese a bit. Just the basic words for now."

"Do as you want. As long as he learns the stuff he needs to. Call Bryan and Spencer and get them up here as well. Listening to you sexually harassing Tala will just get on my nerves if I don't have something to distract me."

"I am _not_ sexually harassing him!" Rei protested indignantly.

"Yes, Rei. You are. You harass everyone. It's just the way you are."

"I prefer to see it as pepping and showing appreciation for other people's beauty."

"Uh-huh."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Rei."

"What?"

"Shut up."

The blacknette pouted.

"You're a meanie!"

"And you're a slut." He got on his feet and dragged Rei with him. "Come on. You need to find Tala so you can get started. I'm gonna start reading that new Lukyanenko book you found for me. Been a while since I read anything Russian."

"And still you own about three hundred books in Russian."

"Otō-san taught me that books are never a waste of money."

They came out into the living room and Kai approached three shelves, out of about twenty, where he kept the books written in his native tongue. He also owned books in English, Japanese, French, Italian, Latin and German. After rummaging around for a while, he found the book he was looking for and took seat in one of the huge armchairs by the floor to ceiling windows. Within a few minutes, he was completely engrossed in the story playing out on the pages before him. Rei looked at him and smiled while shaking his head. The blue-haired man was an exceptionally fast reader, and he would probably be through that one by tomorrow morning – unless his fever got worse.

((_Oh well. If he falls asleep in the chair, it's no biggie. They're cosy enough, and Spencer can always carry him back to bed if needed._))

Xxx xXx xxX

Tala let out a content sigh when he had gotten dressed and felt somewhat fresh again. After so many years on the streets and not being able to wash more than _maybe_ once every fourteen days – sometimes not even once a month – made showering such a luxury. He revelled in the realization that he had free access to the shower whenever he felt like it. During the shower, he had formed his resolve. He was going to act polite and respectful, but still be himself as much as he could get away with. He also meant to speak to Kai about working off his supposed debt. The thought of being a possession made his mind was roar in outrage. He would do what was necessary to clear it and be his own self. He was still not sure if staying in Tokyo would be the best for him afterwards – but, if he was to be completely honest with himself, going back on the streets wasn't all that appealing. However, that was a hurdle he would deal with when he got there. All he wanted was to be free to do what he wanted, and not what a short, evil blue-haired man with some sort of God-complex wanted him to do. He winced. That wasn't really fair.

Kai had been treating him well so far – minus the little incidents when Tala managed to push the wrong buttons. The younger man had become an even more complicated man than he had been when they were little. And he hadn't exactly been a picture-book back then either. Now, 48 hours in his house wasn't much to go by, but it seemed as if when Tala thought he might have figured him out – Kai revealed a new side of himself.

He walked out into the kitchen, and thankfully found the neko in the midst of making breakfast. And it was by far the biggest breakfast the redhead had ever seen. Bacon. Eggs. Pancakes. Three kinds of bread. Sausages. Coffee. Tea. All the spreads you could ever want. And sweets. Tala stopped and just stared at it until Rei realized he was there. Stopping his happy crooning, he turned to catch the surprised Russian in a hug.

"Hey there, darling!" he greeted. "Feeling all better?"

Tala nodded.

"Yeah. I haven't felt this clean in years. Uhm, why are you making all this food for breakfast? Will there be people coming?"

"This?" Rei looked at the amounts of food occupying most of the large kitchen counter. "Nah. It's just gonna be you, me, Kai and Bryan and Spencer. Ian's taking care of the trash."

"The trash?"

"The corpses."

"Oh. Right. Why did I even ask?"

Tala groaned and rubbed his eyes. Rei stroked his back compassionately, and then seemed to notice something for the first time.

"Hey, you're taller than me!" Then he flashed his signature perverted grin. "That's sooo sexy!"

"Uhm, ok." He broke loose as discretely as he could. "Should you really say things like that anywhere near Kai? Won't he be angry?"

"Maybe. But he's _so_ hot when he's angry!"

The honey gold eyes sparkled and his smile was a bit too perverted for Tala's taste, and he moved a bit further away. The omelette saved him.

"Rei." The neko was still spacing out and drooling. "Rei! Your kitchen is on fire."

"Wha-? Oh!"

The breakfast was nothing less than a work of edible art when Rei had finished working his magic. As if on cue, the front door was unlocked and opened. Loud Russian voices signalled the arrival of Bryan and Spencer – bickering as usual. When they arrived in the kitchen, they immediately claimed their chairs and watched the blacknette put all the food on the huge table.

"Mornin', Rei, Tala," Spencer said and yawned. "Where's Kai?"

"In the living room. He's fallen asleep in one of the armchairs," Rei calmly replied. "His wound is getting infected and he's really tired and in need of rest. He's gonna be staying up here until the shit clears off."

"It's that bad, huh?" Bryan inquired as he helped himself to some pancakes.

"Hn." Rei sighed. "He's not happy about it. The Doc will come by to change the dressings and all that once a day – but it'll be our task to keep him still and take care of the fucking fever he's developing."

"Ok," the lilac-haired man said. "Then we'll make sure he chills for a while. We've done it before. Should we go get him? He hates to eat breakfast on his own."

"Hn. Just wake him up carefully. The wound is really painful – and as usual he's refusing the painkillers. Stubborn, proud man!"

The other two Russians smirked, and then Spencer got on his feet to go collect his boss.

Xxx xXx xxX

/_"Kai, run!" _

_Tala grabbed his hand and rushed through the alleys – the sound of heavy footfalls echoing behind them. They ran as fast as their feet could carry them, trying not to trip on the slippery, ice covered streets. But the men pursuing them were gaining on them quickly – and no wonder. They had been chasing the two boys since early morning, and both Tala and Kai were running out of energy rather fast._

"_Stop! Both of you!" they heard a voice call behind them. _

_It was the man who had spoken to them during their morning scavenging. He wanted to take the small bluenette with him, but said little bluenette and his best friend did not want that to happen. The man wanted to separate them, and they refused to let that happen. During these months, they had become almost like Siamese twins – they went nowhere without each other. And, really, they had no other person in the world to care for them either. And now this man came and wanted to take Kai away, because some foreigner wanted a Russian child and Kai fit the criteria. But Kai didn't want to go anywhere – and certainly not if Tala wasn't going there as well! _

_They had tried to argue, but they were just five and seven, after all, and when the man had tried to grab the small blue-haired boy, the whole situation erupted. Kai may be small, but he could fight – and he fought dirty. He had sunken his sharp teeth right into the man's hand until it bled, and then kicked his shin as hard as he could – giving them time to start running._

"_Tala! Left here!" Kai panted, and they turned into another alleyway – only just wide enough for both of them – and came out in another, bigger one. Both of them had been running a lot, and they knew better than to run in a straight line when chased. But four hours of running and dodging all attention was really taking its toll. Their lungs burned like fire, and their breath came in short wheezing pants. Their muscles were starting to cramp, and the sweat covering them made them freeze even more in the cold weather._

_They were trying to make it back to their hide out, where they knew no one would find them. But these men behind them weren't making it easy. They had managed to block every single short cut the boys knew, forcing them further and further away from safety. And then, the thing that mustn't happen, happened. They tripped, and fell face first into the dirty snow. Before they even got to their feet, the men had caught up with them and yanked them up._

"_Stop it!" the scary man snarled. "Are you stupid? Don't you want a home, and a family?"_

_Kai spat in his face, earning a slap across his cheek._

"_Tala is my family! Get your filthy fucking paws off of me!"_

"_You're coming with me, boy. Japan is a good place, and your new parents will treat you like a prince!"_

"_I don't even freaking know what Japan is! And I don't want any parents! I have Tala! Tala is my family, and I'm not going anywhere unless he comes with me! Understand that, you fucking retard?"_

"_That's not up to you to decide, you little punk!" _

_Kai growled and lunged at him, all teeth and sharp little nails – catching the man off guard and managed to cause some serious damage. Tala was fighting off two of the other men right next to him – yelling insults at them so fast it was a wonder his mouth could keep up with him. The situation took a turn for the worse, when one of the adults suddenly had a knife and tried to use it to neutralize the redhead. Kai saw it, and managed to get in the way. The sharp blade opened up a long gash in his velvety little boy-cheek – blood pouring from it. The shock of feeling it, caused him to drop to his knees and place a hand over the wound. He looked up just in time to see one of the mean men hit Tala in the back of the head, causing him to pass out in the snow. Then he was grabbed, and carried off – kicking and screaming and crying._

"_Tala!" he screamed. "No, let me go! I can't leave him! I can't leave Tala! Tala! Let me go! __**Tala!**__"_

_They turned a corner, and the last thing he saw of his best friend and only family was the explosion of red hair looking like blood against the white snow – blue eyes closed and bruises starting to form all over his finely chiselled face. One of his slender arms seemed even in unconsciousness to reach after him._

"**_Talaaa!_**_"/_

With a muffled cry, Kai sat straight up, and almost fell out of the chair. His pulse was racing and he was gasping for breath. One of his hands had flown up and grabbed the cross, and he realized he was clutching it so tight the metal was digging into his flesh. He was covered in cold sweat, his entire body was shaking, and the wound was hurting really badly.

He heard heavy footsteps coming closer, but couldn't focus on them right now. But when he tried to stand up, his knees gave in and he almost fell to the floor – but someone caught him in mid air.

"_Whoa, easy there, Kai_," Spencer said and helped him regain his balance. "_You gotta stand up slowly, or you'll pass out. You got a fever, remember?_"

"_I'm fine_," Kai managed to say. "_Just a bit dizzy_."

"_Ya gotta be careful. A fever from a wound aint to mess with_."

"_I know that, Spence. What do you want, anyway? Is breakfast ready?_"

"_Yup. Rei wanted me to get you. He's outdone himself again with the food. Red looked a bit intimidated – but then again, maybe he hasn't seen this much food for breakfast in his whole life._"

"_I'm sure he hasn't. Try not to bitch with him about it._"

"_I won't, but I'll tell Bry and Ian to keep their mouths shut as well_."

"_Good._"

They entered the kitchen, and Kai bit his lip. As he carefully sat down next to Tala (and making the redhead feel nervous yet again), he asked;

"About Ian. Has he taken care of the trash?"

"Yup," Bryan said and helped himself to some sausages.

"Where'd he throw them?"

"Half a mile out of the harbour. There's a strong current going through there. They'll just move further and further out to sea. So no worries."

"And you made sure they won't just come floating up again?"

"Yup."

"Good."

He accepted the plate Rei had prepared for him, and quietly began to eat. Breakfast at the top of the Hiwatari Tower was never a very loud affair. Rei was really the only one who was very talkative in the mornings. The Russians preferred the first meal of the day to be a quiet event. That's not saying they didn't speak at all, but it was mainly variations of the phrase 'this is good stuff, Rei'.

As soon as they were finished, Rei got to his feet.

"Alright, hotties! Just leave the plates and everything and I'll take care of it. I don't want any more silverware in the walls!"

He shooed the four Russian males out of the kitchen, and Spencer helped his friend and boss sit down in the armchair again. Kai picked up the book he had dropped when he fell asleep, and made it clear that he did not to be disturbed while reading. Spencer and Bryan, being quite used to his quirks, just turned on the tv and put a movie on and slouched down in each corner of the huge couch. Tala didn't know what to do at first, but he didn't have time to ponder, because Rei came bouncing in, along with a note pad, a pen and eraser and what appeared to be school books on English spelling and grammar.

"Here, love," the neko smiled and signed for him to sit down in an armchair on the other side of the window from where Kai was, and he himself sat down in the one next to it and put the books down on the small table. "Ok, so. How much do you know about spelling? Can you, for instance, spell your name?"

Tala frowned and blushed slightly. Rei obviously realized that it had sounded a lot more insulting than he had intended, and he put his hand on the redhead's.

"I didn't mean it like that, darling. I just wanted to know where to start. Maybe we should just be methodical and do it from the beginning, ne?" Tala looked a bit embarrassed, and he smiled. "Hey, if I could teach those two blockheads on the couch Japanese, I am sure that teaching you English will be child's play."

"Ok," Tala sighed, trying to hold on to his resolve to stop being a wuss. "Let's get started then."

"Great. Now, this is the Latin Alphabet."

Kai watched and listened to them as the hours passed – seemingly busy with his book. Tala was a quick learner, but that wasn't a surprise. When they were children, the redhead had always understood things much faster than he had, and had he just gotten some schooling, Kai was dead certain Tala would have landed a good and well-paid job by now. It was good to see, also, that the redhead made his best efforts to actually learn what Rei could teach him. But he would have been surprised if it had been any other way. Tala had always hated to be a burden, to be seen as weak by anyone. He could remember so many times when Tala had gotten himself in trouble by fighting guys bigger than himself rather than being pushed around by them. He wondered how much of that raw, untamed spirit there was left in the man who used to be a scrawny and quirky carrot top of a boy. He had seen a little bit, but the old Tala was untameable. He was like a wolf, possible to become close to, but impossible to break and keep as a pet.

((_I need to test him. If he is as wild as he used to be, he'll be perfect on the team. But if he's become a softy, I just need him to clear the debt and then I'll send him back to Russia and just make sure he gets a good job and a place to stay. Softies don't live long here, and I don't want him to get caught in deeper shit than he can handle. Yeah, I'll definitely have to test him a bit. As soon as this shit clears off. God, I'm dizzy again..._))

He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead – facial colour fading to a snowy white. This gesture did not go unnoticed by the four other men in the room. Rei put the books down and went over to him – placing one hand on his cheek. It was damp, and the soft skin was burning hot.

"Are you alright, honey?" he asked worriedly. "You're pale as a sheet, and you're practically burning up."

Kai gave a tired, dismissive wave.

"I'm fine. Just a bit dizzy. Get on with the teaching, I'll be fine."

Rei wasn't convinced at all, and signed to Bryan to go fetch some anti-febrile. But when the lilac-haired man returned, Kai had already drifted off into a restless feverish slumber – mumbling incoherent words and frowning deeply.

"Here ya go, Ka-" Bryan said but stopped when he noticed that his boss wasn't conscious enough to hear him. He sighed and put the pills down on the small table next to the chair and touched his forehead. "Fucking hell," he said. "I gotta call Ian and ask if he can find the bullet and let me have a look at it. Seriously, Kai has never gotten sick like this by a freaking bullet before. Not shitting once!"

"Yeah," Spencer said slowly. "Now that you say it... He's gotten infections before, but never from a bullet wound. Somethin's fishy here, guys."

Rei frowned again, and got to his feet to touch the pale and burning skin of his friend once more.

"Spencer," he said. "Go call Ian and have him find that bullet. It's most likely buried in the wall, but he's gonna search every inch of that room until he finds it if it's not." The bulky blonde nodded and pulled out his cell phone from his pocket. The neko turned to Bryan. "Bry, please help me get him to bed." Bryan nodded and picked him up, and as they made their way to his huge bedroom, Rei signed for Tala to come along as well. The redhead warily did so, and when Bryan had placed the sleeping man on the bed, surprisingly gently for being Bryan, Rei spoke.

"Ok, Bry. I need you and Spence to keep up appearances now. If someone asks how Kai is, just tell them he's fine but cranky and that I'm battling him to get him to stay home. Do not under any circumstances let anyone know how sick he is."

"Yeah, I know the drill, Kitten," Bryan said and stretched his back. "I'll be out in the living room. When Ian comes with the bullet, I'll check it out and see if I can find what they did to it to cause this shit."

"You think they...poisoned it?" Tala asked in horror. Bryan looked seriously at him and nodded.

"There's a great likelihood of it, Red. Those fuckers will do anything to cause the necessary damage. But I won't know until I've taken a look at that fucking bullet."

With that, he left the room, and Rei sat down on his knees on the bed and began to carefully rid Kai of the tank top he had on. Tala hurried to make himself useful, and together they got him safely under the covers and made sure the pillows supported him just right. At least for a moment or two – then Kai was once again moving and muttering, hissing when he strained the wound in any way.

"Tala, honey," Rei said as he adjusted the covers a bit. "I'm gonna need your help on this one."

"Ok?" Tala said with an arched brow. "What can I do?"

"I'm gonna be busy taking care of all our businesses for a while now, so I won't be able to be up here all days. I need you to help me care for him. You won't have to do much. Just help keep his temperature down, give him the anti febrile when he's supposed to take them and make sure he gets enough food, fluids and rest. Oh, and keep him company. He may seem rather 'fuck off and leave me alone', but he hates to be alone when he's sick."

Tala frowned, not at all sure that this was a good idea.

"Uhm, Bryan and Spencer said something about him being really nasty when he's sick. And he doesn't seem to like having me around all too much. Should I really..."

"Aww, honey!" Rei objected and put a finger over his lips. "You'll do fine, I promise! Kai likes you! He's just got some problems showing it right now. Please, just help me with this. I need to be able to focus on business and know he's taken care of. I mustn't in any way show that I'm worried. The entire family will be upset and unfocused if they find out he's sick."

Tala sighed, understanding he was right. This really didn't look too good, and even if Tala didn't trust Kai's good intentions, he was worried. He was far from an expert, but even he could see that this could be very serious if they didn't treat it right. He nodded.

"Alright, I'll do what I can." He looked hesitant for a moment. "I won't have to change bandages all all that, do I?"

"Nope," Rei assured him. "Doc will come by and do that for you. Don't worry about that. Now, could you stay with him while I make dinner?"

"Uhm, sure."

"Thanks, darling! Don't worry, we'll just take care of your lessons in the evenings."

Rei bounced out of the room, leaving Tala looking rather indecisive by the bed. Finally, he mentally kicked himself and growled to stop looking like a chicken that had lost his mummy. After managing to turn on the tv and finding a channel that showed programs in English, he sat down on the bed – seeing that it might be a better idea, than for him to sit in one of the chairs in the room if Kai got worse, or fell out of bed or something. The bluenette was twisting and turning in restless feverish sleep, muttering incoherent words in what seemed to be Russian every now and then. He reached out a hand and placed it on Kai's forehead. Not only was is burning hot, it was damp from sweat as well, and the usually pale skin had an unhealthy reddish pink shade to it – showing clearly that he was in the grasp of one mean fever.

After about two hours of watching Oprah, and to his own surprise finding that he rather liked the show, Bryan came sauntering in to see how things were going. He slouched down on the bed as well and fixed his greyish eyes on the screen as well. The were quiet for a while before Bryan asked;

"_Has he been sleepin' the whole time?_"

"_Yeah,_" Tala replied. "_But he keeps moving around, so I don't think he's having it all too good right now._"

"_Ian found the bullet_."

"_Had they done something to it?_" Worry made its way into the redhead's voice. Bryan nodded grimly.

"_Yeah. He took a look at the other bullets in the gun as well – we kept it, you know – and they had tampered with every single one._"

"_What had they done? Can it be cured?_"

"_From what I could see by the quick examination, they had dipped the bullets in a mix of venom from several plants and animals – conium, for instance. All of them are toxic on their own, but I've encountered this poison before. It's called a wolf bite. They mix the substances together in a light enough dose so it won't kill the person in an instance. The combination causes the wound to get infected, and the person to become very very sick – with fevers, fever dreams, fatigue, dizziness, blurry vision, loss of appetite, vomiting... It's nasty, quite simply. It's the infection that's fatal, not the poison in itself._"

"_Can we cure it?_"

"_Yeah, but it will take a while. I've called a guy I know, an expert on toxins, and he's sent for the antidote. For now, all we can really do is to keep the wound as clean as possible and make sure he takes the antibiotics regularly. I called Doc and he's gonna switch to a stronger type. I aint gonna lie, Red. He can die from this. But, knowing him, he will fight for his life until his very last breath. He aint gonna give up that easily, and as I said; the antidote has been sent for. It'll clear his body of the toxins._"

"_How?_" Tala was almost as pale as Kai now. This information was beyond terrifying – it was unimaginable and just... monstrous.

"_It'll force the poison out of his body. It's not pretty, and it takes one hell of a toll on his body – but it will clear him of every last little drop. Good thing about the wolf bite, though. You can only get poisoned by it once._" He scratched his neck. "_Dunno how it works, exactly – but the important thing is that it does._"

"_You mean like a withdrawal?_"

"_Yeah, that's a good way to describe it, Red! It does look like a withdrawal from some nasty shit, and I guess it is in a way. You know anything about those things?_"

"_Withdrawals?_" Tala sighed and scratched his neck. "_Yeah, I do. I've lived on the streets my whole life, Bryan. I've seen people coming off more drugs than I thought even existed – and I've come off drugs myself. It's not nice to look at, and it's definitely not nice to be suffering through._"

Bryan looked closely at him.

"_You don't look like the junkie type, Tal,_" he said. "_Ya can't have been using for that long? How did ya manage to quit?_"

"_I started when I was maybe sixteen, lasted till I was about twenty-three. Life on the streets is hard. And sometimes you just need to shut it all out for a while. The drugs came in handy then. It was my way of coping being on my own. Sappy as it may sound, had I had Kai with me still, I don't think I would've taken anything. I was alone, Bryan, and that is the hardest way. Because there, like here I guess, you can't trust anyone. Everyone around you are backstabbing motherfuckers who're just waiting to cash in on what little you own. You get by so much easier if you got someone with you. But you're seldom let into new cliques, and you can't always trust them then either._"

"_Yup, that's the way it is around here as well. You need to know someone at the top of the food chain if you're gonna be taken in at all. You're lucky, though. You know the leader, the oyabun. Aint a single fucker that'll bitch with you here. Word'll spread that you're with us, and they'll leave you alone._" Then he looked closer at the redhead again, a lilac brow arched. "_How old are ya? You don't look a lot older than Kai. Maybe about my age. Younger than Spencer anyway._"

"_I'm twenty-seven, as far as I know,_" Tala said and fought back a blush. "_I know I'm two years older than Kai._"

"_Kai's twenty-five. I'm turning twenty-seven in a few weeks. Spencer's twenty-eight. Ian's a few months younger than me._"

"_Ok. Then I'm twenty-seven._" He sighed. "_To keep track on your age aint that easy coming from my kind of life. You're too busy surviving. Besides, I can't even remember my parents. I've been out there all my life, as I said. A few rounds in foster care and all that, but I always ended up where I came from after a while._"

Bryan put a large hand on his shoulder and nodded towards Kai's sleeping form.

"_Ya know, Kai's still as wild as he was when he came here too. He's never forgotten what it was like out there – and he despises his mother as much for trying to spoil him rotten as for being a general cunt._" He shuddered and sighed. "_Pray you'll never have to meet the bitch. Just because she married an oyabun, she thinks she's the Empress of the fucking world. She treats everyone like shit, and then gets pissed when no one even bothers to act polite. Kai shoved her out to a house in Kyoto, on the other side of town from his favourite one, where she can play court without bothering anyone. Christmases tend to be a pain in the fucking ass. That's the one time a year she comes here without being sent for – and goddamn, what a motherfucking drama queen she is. And she sets Kai off every time – last Christmas to the point of me having to wrestle him to the floor so he wouldn't shoot her._"

"_He was going to shoot his mother?_" Tala cried. "_What the fucking hell?_"

"_She aint his mother, Red. She's the cunt of all cunts, and she wanted Kai just because he looked so unlike anyone else. He was a trophy, nothing else. She's never treated him good – especially not when he got older and didn't even bother to pretend he liked her. Takeshi-sama really had a hard time trying to keep them away from each others throats. He and Kai and Kensei stuck together, and he taught Kai how to run a family like this when Kai was still just a kid. Irina hated it. She wanted Kai to be a good boy, go to some fancy ass university and become someone great – but still run the family, just for the status in it. Kai actually has a master's degree in art history, but running the family is what he wants to do._"

"_But how can he do that? I don't fucking understand! How can he be so fucking cold?_"

"_He has to be, Red. Think on it. Ya really think a softy would be able to run this kind of business? He'd be dead within a week. Yeah, sure, Kai is the most dangerous man you'll ever meet, but he's not made of ice. He'll go to hell and back for those close to him, he just doesn't show it around people. He can't. If he shows the slightest fucking sign of weakness or give a single hint that someone is close to him, they'll have the upper hand on him. Kai's on the top, but staying there is hard, Red._"

"_You all keep saying that. Sorry, but I can't see it._"

"_Well, you'll figure him out eventually. He-_"

They were interrupted by the sound of the front door slamming open and a high pitched arrogant female voice filling the air – as well as Rei's pissed off protests. Steps approached the bedroom and that door was also slammed open, revealing a tall and slender woman with gorgeous ice blonde hair and a pair of piercing green eyes – wearing clothes that must have cost more than Tala's new wardrobe.

"_Kuznetsov, where's that ungrateful brat I call a son? I'm gonna have a word with him, and give him a piece of my mind. Cutting my allowance like I was some servant! Where the hell is he?_"

**Xxx xXx xxX**

Uh-oh! Enter the bitch!

And I still feel so bad for putting poor, clueless Tala through all this - but it'll be worth it in the end. Just hang in there!


End file.
